Blood of the Tiger
by Twilidramon
Summary: When Hawkfrost and Ashfur kill Firestar with the fox trap and kidnap Squirrelflight, it spirals the Lake Clans into war. TigerClan is formed under newly-named Hawkstar. For their own defense WindClan and ThunderClan join together to form LionClan. But Bramblestar is green at leadership, and Squirrelflight is TigerClan's hostage. With the help of the Three, can he save the lake? (T)
1. Allegiances

**Well, here's the AU where Hawkfrost and Ashfur succeed in killing Firestar at the end of _Sunset!_**

**One thing you'll notice is that Hollypaw and Jaypaw have different names and appearances - that's because while their original appearances are technically genetically possible, so are these appearances. I wanted to give them a bit of something different, since they're growing up in a different time. It's the same with Tigerheart's and Flametail's names.**

**This story doesn't have anything to do with _Tinystar's Beginning_ - but like that story, I'll continue this one based on the reception. I'll be working on both for now, so hopefully things go well! This story was an awesome idea in my head so hopefully it's the same on here.**

**Anyway, most of the questions I'm sure you'll have will be answered in the first few chapters. If there's anything that isn't answered, it's probably because it's a major point later, or a little detail I forgot.**

**As a warning, this story is going to be a little darker than other stories. Dont' worry - I won't go overboard, but it's just a warning for those who are sensitive to those sorts of things. Be prepared! **

**This story starts around the same time as _The Sight._**

**Enjoy!**

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**ALLEGIANCES**

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**LIONCLAN (formerly ThunderClan and WindClan)**

Leaders:

Bramblestar – huge dark brown tabby tom, amber eyes _(Berrypaw)_

Onestar – light brown tabby tom, yellow eyes (Whitetail's mate)

Deputies:

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom, amber eyes (Sorreltail's mate) _(Spottedpaw)_

Ashfoot – pale gray she-cat, blue eyes (mother of Crowfeather)

Medicine Cats:

Leafpool – light brown tabby she-cat with white chest and paws (mother of Spottedpaw, Robinpaw, and Lionpaw) _(Robinpaw)_

Barkface – brown tom with a stumpy tail, amber eyes _(Kestrelpaw)_

Warriors:

Dustpelt – dark tabby tom, amber eyes (Ferncloud's mate) _(Hazelpaw)_

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat, green eyes (mother of Squirrelflight and Leafpool) _(Honeypaw)_

Tornear – tabby tom, yellow eyes _(Harepaw)_

Whitetail – small white she-cat, green eyes (mother of Heatherpaw, Harepaw, and Kestrelpaw) _(Breezepaw)_

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom, blue eyes (Brightheart's mate) _(Cinderpaw)_

Brightheart – white-and-ginger tortoiseshell, blue eyes (mother of Whitewing)

Nightcloud – sleek black she-cat, yellow eyes (mother of Breezepaw)

Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom, yellow eyes _(Poppypaw)_

Sorreltail – tortoiseshell she-cat, amber eyes (mother of Cinderpaw, Poppypaw, and Honeypaw) _(Lionpaw)_

Spiderleg – leggy black tom with a brown underbelly, amber eyes _(Mousepaw)_

Crowfeather – smoky black tom, blue eyes _(Heatherpaw)_

Stormfur – solid gray tom, amber eyes; formerly of RiverClan

Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook) – light brown tabby she-cat, yellow eyes; formerly of the Tribe of Rushing Water

Whitewing – pretty white she-cat, green eyes

Birchfall – light brown tabby tom, yellow eyes

Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom, green eyes

Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws, blue eyes

Apprentices:

Robinpaw – cream-colored tabby tom, pale blue eyes; medicine cat apprentice

Kestrelpaw – brown-and-gray flecked tom, yellow eyes; medicine cat apprentice

Berrypaw – cream-colored tom with a stumpy tail, yellow eyes

Hazelpaw – small gray-and-white she-cat, yellow eyes

Mousepaw – gray-and-white tom, blue eyes

Honeypaw – golden brown tabby she-cat, blue eyes

Poppypaw – tortoiseshell she-cat, amber eyes

Cinderpaw – mottled gray tabby she-cat, blue eyes

Harepaw – light brown tabby tom with white paws, yellow eyes

Heatherpaw – light brown tabby she-cat with white paws, blue eyes

Spottedpaw – pretty tortoiseshell, green eyes

Lionpaw – smoky golden brown tabby tom, amber eyes

Queens:

Ferncloud – pale gray she-cat, green eyes (mother of Dustpelt's kits – Foxkit and Icekit)

Daisy – cream-colored she-cat, yellow eyes; formerly a loner from the Horseplace (mother of Berrypaw, Hazelpaw, and Mousepaw)

Elders:

Morningflower – tortoiseshell she-cat, yellow eyes

Webfoot – dark gray tabby tom, blue eyes

Mousefur – dusky brown she-cat, amber eyes

Longtail – pale tabby tom, blind in both eyes

* * *

**TIGERCLAN (formerly RiverClan and ShadowClan)**

Leader: Hawkstar – huge dark brown tabby tom with white chest and paws, ice-blue eyes

Deputies:

Blackclaw – smoky black tom, amber eyes

Russetfur – dark ginger she-cat, yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Mothwing – dappled golden tabby she-cat with long fur, amber eyes _(Willowpaw)_

Warriors:

Oakfur – small brown tom, amber eyes _(Toadpaw)_

Mosspelt – tortoiseshell she-cat, blue eyes _(Pebblepaw)_

Reedwhisker – sleek black tom, yellow eyes _(Pouncepaw)_

Rowanclaw – dark ginger tabby tom, green eyes (Tawnypelt's mate) _(Ivypaw)_

Smokefoot – smoky black tom, blue eyes _(Owlpaw)_

Ashfur – pale gray flecked tabby tom, green eyes; formerly of ThunderClan

Voletooth – small brown tabby tom, green eyes _(Minnowpaw)_

Beechfur – light brown tabby tom, yellow eyes

Rippletail – dark gray tabby tom, blue eyes _(Dapplepaw)_

Snowbird – pure white she-cat, blue eyes _(Applepaw)_

Graymist – pale gray tabby she-cat, green eyes

Icewing – white she-cat, blue eyes

Apprentices:

Willowpaw – dark gray tabby she-cat, green eyes

Toadpaw – dark brown tom, green eyes

Applepaw – mottled brown she-cat, green eyes

Dapplepaw – mottled gray she-cat, yellow eyes

Ivypaw – black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat, blue eyes

Minnowpaw – dappled gray-and-white she-cat, green eyes

Pouncepaw – ginger-and-white tabby tom, green eyes

Owlpaw – light brown tabby tom, amber eyes

Pebblepaw – pale gray tom with a mottled pelt, green eyes

Queens:

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat (mother of Eaglekit, Redkit, and Dawnkit)

Dawnflower – pale gray she-cat, blue eyes

Elders:

Cedarheart – dark gray tabby tom, green eyes

Heavystep – big brown tabby tom, yellow eyes

Tallpoppy – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat, yellow eyes (mother of Toadpaw and Applepaw)

Stonestream – gray tabby tom, green eyes

Swallowtail – dark tabby she-cat, yellow eyes

Hostage:

Squirrelflight – dark ginger she-cat with a bushy tail and one white paw, green eyes; formerly of ThunderClan

* * *

**CATS (AND OTHER CREATURES) OUTSIDE THE CLANS**

Smoky – gray-and-white tom, yellow eyes; lives at the Horseplace

Floss – gray-and-white she-cat, blue eyes; lives at the Horseplace

Starling – very dark gray mottled tabby she-cat with white paws, yellow eyes

Graystripe – long-haired dark gray tom, amber eyes; formerly of ThunderClan

Millie – silver tabby she-cat, yellow eyes; former kittypet

Midnight – stargazing she-badger who lives by the sea


	2. Prologue

**And here's the prologue!**

* * *

**Prologue**

"_Well, Brambleclaw?"_

Brambleclaw looked, horrified, at his leader. Firestar lay gasping in his own blood, claws digging into the ground. The fox traps' wire was wrapped tightly around his neck, tearing at fur and flesh. Firestar's green eyes looked up at Brambleclaw – there was no begging in his eyes, only a calm realization that his life rested in the paws of the son of his greatest enemy.

_I trust you,_ they said.

It was the most important thing to Brambleclaw – being trusted. Not just by his Clan – but by his leader, the cat that had mentored him and taught him everything he knew. The cat that had made him deputy not two sunrises before. The cat that had feared him for looking like his father, who feared what he may become.

Hawkfrost stood haughtily, confidently, just beside Firestar. His white chest and paws were tinged pink with Firestar's blood. His ice-blue, chilling, eyes bored into Brambleclaw's very core.

_My brother, or my leader._

_It's an easy choice,_ Tigerstar whispered into his ear. He felt his father's pelt brush against his own. If he looked left, he would see Tigerstar's powerful outline. Firestar's eyes never left Brambleclaw's, but the young tom knew that Firestar realized Tigerstar was there, too. _Kill him; become leader of ThunderClan. Do what you were born to do._

"Well?" Hawkfrost demanded.

Brambleclaw broke Firestar's gaze to look down at his paws. Did he want Firestar's blood on them? Did he want to go that far to be leader of ThunderClan, an ambition that had gripped his heart since the moment he had become a warrior?

No.

He wanted to serve as Firestar's deputy – he wanted to learn everything the flame-colored hero knew about leading ThunderClan. Young kits often yearned to be like their fathers – Brambleclaw's father had been a murderer and traitor.

No, he wanted to be like Firestar – the cat who had been a better father to him than Tigerstar had ever been.

"No," Brambleclaw growled.

_Traitor!_ Tigerstar yowled in his ear.

"Fool!" Hawkfrost hissed. Bristling, the tabby tom spat, "We _knew_ you were a traitor! Tigerstar knew that you cared more for this kittypet fool than power!"

Hawkfrost leaped at him, but Brambleclaw slipped beneath his brother to slide towards Firestar. He remembered how Squirrelflight had freed Berrykit's tail from a fox trap, and he began digging frantically at the trap's anchor point – a sharp wooden stick driven deep into the ground.

Dirt clotted between his claws, flying everywhere around him as Firestar's eyes, full of relief, gazed up at him. "Don't worry," Brambleclaw panted. "You'll be out soon!"

The wind was knocked from Brambleclaw as he was pushed aside by Hawkfrost's strong shoulders. His brother pinned him, raining blows like a storm. Brambleclaw felt claws, long and hooked, dig into his belly and he twisted, trying to squirm away.

He managed to slam a paw into Hawkfrost's face, spraying mud and dirt into his brother's eyes. Hawkfrost hissed in fury and pain, his eyes tightly shut against the soil. Brambleclaw twisted himself back to his paws, ignoring the pains in his belly, and leaped for the stick that held Firestar's life in its grasp.

Hawkfrost caught him by the haunches in his claws. He dragged Brambleclaw to the ground and nearly trampled him to stand beside the fox trap. "If _you're_ too mouse-hearted to do it, then _I_ will!" he seethed, the whites of his eyes reddened by dirt and sod.

"Never!" Brambleclaw spat.

Hawkfrost reached for the stick, to tighten the thin wire around Firestar's neck, but Brambleclaw bowled him over before it could happen. He dug his claws into his brother's pelt, feeling skin break and blood flow against his paws.

The two fought furiously, rolling to and fro along the stony shore of the lake, their lashing tails drenched and spraying water as they tossed and turned in their furious debate of claws and teeth. Brambleclaw dodged a fatal blow to his throat and landed a blow on Hawkfrost's shoulder, tearing flesh.

Hawkfrost howled in pain and pressed down on Brambleclaw, forcing his spine into the stony shoreline. Brambleclaw gasped in pain and forced himself to roll over, placing Hawkfrost beneath him. He pressed his brother's face into the stones, grief tearing at his heart.

_It didn't have to be this way!_ He was screaming inside. _We could have been friends! We could have been brothers!_

A flash of gray caught his eye. The setting sun turned his pelt red as Ashfur slipped from the bracken and towards Firestar. Brambleclaw felt a flash of hope in his chest. The backup he had told Birchpaw to bring had come!

But his hopes sank like the sun when Ashfur paused at the trap. His hopes turned to horror as he saw Ashfur press the stick further into the earth, burying it once more. His hopes were utterly swept away as Ashfur tightened the Twoleg wire around Firestar's neck.

Firestar's pained screeches were all Brambleclaw could hear – high to low and then high again, with brief periods of silence in between that seemed to last longer and longer each time.

"_Fox-dung!"_ screeched a cat.

A dark ginger streak rocketed from the brush. Squirrelflight!

Firestar's daughter crashed into Ashfur and sent the gray-flecked tom spiraling towards the ShadowClan border. Claws flashing, she howled with fury as she lunged at her former friend. Firestar lay there, gasping for air, for breath, for life – his blood pooling around him. Brambleclaw had lost count of how many lives the flame-colored hero had lost, but it was clear he didn't have much else in him.

Leafpool, Squirrelflight's sister, rushed from the underbrush. Her amber eyes were wide as she took in the scene, but she immediately began to work on Firestar. Her claws worked furiously and dirt began to fly as she tried picking up where Brambleclaw left off.

Hawkfrost brought his attention back to the battle at hand by grasping Brambleclaw's throat in his jaws and bringing his head down to the stones. Brambleclaw bounced off of his brother, his head ringing like a thousand birds singing in his ears. The world shifted and shook around him as Hawkfrost pushed him off.

"You see, Brambleclaw?" he hissed into his brother's ear. "You've lost. It wasn't worth it to betray us."

Brambleclaw watched, powerless, as Hawkfrost sauntered over to Leafpool. It took hardly any effort for Hawkfrost to knock Leafpool away – she landed in the brush like a limp kitten, her eyes full of shock and terror.

"Firestar watched and did nothing as that _kittypet_ ripped all the lives from Tigerstar," Hawkfrost crowed, standing over Firestar's ragged flame-colored form as if the haggard tom's body were some sort of trophy. "He stood there and watched – and now you'll all stand here and watch as the great Firestar meets his end by the claws of his enemy's son, and the future ruler of the whole forest!"

Hawkfrost tightened the fitting around Firestar's neck. The flame-colored tom let out a pained howl and his every limb shook with effort, straining and grasping at any scrap of life left in him. The ground was hewn with claw marks - Firestar's frantic clawing at the ground would be cemented into ThunderClan territory forever.

"_No!"_ Squirrelflight screeched. She was beneath Ashfur's paws, held tightly by the gray tom. His eyes were blank, soulless, and smooth as stone as he watched Firestar struggle. Squirrelflight was wriggling and twisting, her eyes wide with fear and pain and sorrow.

Firestar's limbs gave one last jerk, and then he lay still forevermore.

_No…_ Brambleclaw gasped. _No…_

Hawkfrost's cackling, cold laughter rose over the silence like the cawing of a crow in the early morning. He place a triumphant paw on Firestar's body and tossed him aside, his ice-blue eyes gleaming with stark satisfaction.

"You monster," whimpered Leafpool. She struggled to her paws. "How… how could you?"

Hawkfrost ignored her. He was glaring at Brambleclaw. "This could have all been painless, brother, had you only done as Tigerstar and I planned," he meowed.

Brambleclaw, head spinning, forced himself to his paws. They slipped on the stones only briefly, but he soon found his footing. He stared his brother in the eye. "I would never have done it," he declared. "I could _never_ be like you!"

"Soon you will see," Hawkfrost meowed. "Soon you will see just how pointless it is to resist. I will be Hawkstar – leader of the new and improved TigerClan; and we will rule the forest, brother, with or without you."

"Let me go you fox-heart!" Squirrelflight begged, her voice raised in desperation.

"No," Hawkfrost replied, coldly.

Ashfur only looked at Hawkfrost. His eyes flashed briefly, but returned to their cold stare. "I did as you asked, Hawkfrost," he meowed. "She's no threat now. Let her go."

_You're the one holding her, Ashfur,_ Brambleclaw thought. _How much of a hold do they have over you now? Look at what you have done!_

"She's more use to us as she is," Hawkfrost declared. "Trapped – a prisoner."

"Let her go!" Brambleclaw snarled. He took a step, but dizziness overtook him. He shook his head of it and growled, "Let her mourn her father – whom _you_ murdered!"

"No," Hawkfrost said again. "I think I'll keep her."

"You can't!" Leafpool gasped.

"I can," Hawkfrost snarled, "and I will." He looked at Brambleclaw and added, "Her safety will depend on just how often you plan on meddling in my affairs, Brambleclaw. You too, you weak little medicine cat."

"StarClan curse you!" Leafpool spat, her ears back. Brambleclaw had never seen her so heartbroken, or so furious. Not even when she was separated from Crowfeather, or when she had lost Cinderpelt.

"Let them try," Hawkfrost hissed. "I am protected by a force far stronger than StarClan."

He padded towards Ashfur and flicked his tail. Ashfur bent down and grasped Squirrelflight's scruff in his jaws. He began to drag her towards the ShadowClan border, but Squirrelflight fought for every step.

"Keep it up," Hawkfrost encouraged. "I'll tear a whisker out for every scratch you put on Ashfur – _two,_ if you manage to hit me."

Squirrelflight spat.

"You won't get away with this, Hawkfrost," Brambleclaw declared. "I'll find you, and I will stop you."

"Not if you want your precious Squirrelflight to come back to you in one piece," Hawkfrost replied.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, Brambleclaw!" Squirrelflight gasped. "I still love you – I always will."

"I love you, too," Brambleclaw called back. Rage crept beneath his pelt – but he saved it for another time, another place. A time and a place where he might rip out Hawkfrost's eyeballs with his own claws, and then remove a few choice parts of Ashfur, too.

He watched then disappear across the ShadowClan border, into the pine trees and the sparse bushes. His eyes followed them hungrily as they dragged his love around the lake, and even when he could no longer actually see them, he stared across the orange-red waters as if he could spot Hawkfrost's shape amongst the blurred landscape.

"Squirrelflight…" Leafpool whispered. "Sister… what will I do without you?"

She was shaking as she padded up to Brambleclaw. Leafpool had been looking unusually well-fed lately, and for a moment Brambleclaw realized that she really _did_ need Squirrelflight's help – not just for the comfort of having a sister, but for some cat – _any_ cat – to come to her defense when the time came.

"Before there is peace," she whispered, "blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red." She looked to Brambleclaw and insisted, "You _must_ stop him."

"I will," Brambleclaw declared. "With every fiber of my being, Leafpool – I promise I will not stop fighting him."

The sun set behind the trees and the lake in a flash of fire, a fire that burned brighter and stronger than anything that Brambleclaw had ever seen before, or would ever see again.


	3. Chapter 1

**They're growing up in a different situation... I can't guarantee that the Three (or other youngsters born/trained during this time) will act the same way they do in canon.**

**I'm really glad you all like this story, and I hope that despite the above you'll still enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Eight moons._

It had been eight long moons since Firestar's death; since Squirrelflight's capture; and since Ashfur's betrayal.

Leopardstar was the first to die. No cat seemed to know how – but all of ThunderClan knew that Leopardstar's death was foul play. She died suddenly, all of her remaining lives lost due to some illness that Mothwing, RiverClan's medicine cat, could not identify.

Mistyfoot stepped forward to claim leadership of RiverClan – but no cat had heard from her for eight moons.

Hawkstar was the cat who led RiverClan to their next Gathering. He stood tall and proud on the Great Oak beside the other leaders, his head held high and his eyes gleaming. It was a memory burned into the minds of very cat that was there that day.

It had been seven moons since the first attack. RiverClan versus ThunderClan. No cat was sure how they walked straight through ShadowClan territory without being seen – but then ShadowClan reinforcements arrived; ThunderClan had to call for help. Onestar came to their aid, and it was his help that ensured the survival of ThunderClan's warriors.

Six moons had passed since TigerClan was formed – a hostile takeover from within that resulted in the loss of both Blackstar and Littlecloud. No cat was sure who was responsible for their deaths, but the Clans who remained free knew for sure that Hawkstar was behind it. TigerClan rose from the ashes of RiverClan and ShadowClan, with Hawkstar and Hawkstar alone at its head.

WindClan and ThunderClan had joined together to meet the challenge – LionClan, they were called. In the minds of the older warriors, they recalled a time when the Clans had separated in just this way… a time when a Lion fought a Tiger and swept the Blood from the forest – it was on their minds, but it never passed their lips where any younger cat could hear.

With Onestar and Bramblestar at the head, their deputies Ashfoot and Brackenfur beside them, they attempted to assault TigerClan – but to no avail. Again, luck was with them – neither side lost warriors – but LionClan walked away with loss weighing heavily on their shoulders regardless.

Six moons had passed since Leafpool gave birth one snowy, snowy morning. Her three kits were stunning and lovely – two toms and a she-kit - but it could not be ignored that she had broken her code as a medicine cat. Her punishment was to be decided when the war was won – without two medicine cats LionClan was finding it hard to deal with all their wounds.

Not to mention that Leafpool was Bramblestar's only link to Squirrelflight. No, so long as there was LionClan, Leafpool would remain one of its full medicine cats, alongside Barkface. He hadn't the time left to train another, alongside his own apprentice.

The only news he heard of Squirrelflight was at Gatherings. Hawkstar would remark that his prisoner was doing well, and that was all. Bramblestar knew that Hawkstar would kill Squirrelflight in an instant should anything upset him. His heart twisted at being manipulated so – and Onestar never understood Bramblestar's reluctance to press TigerClan as anything more than weakness – but he could not bear the thought of his love being killed.

Every moon there was an attack – and every moon LionClan stepped away from the fighting, lucky to be alive. TigerClan warriors were fierce and fought with nearly every dirty trick they could think of, from pushing cats into the lake to sneaking up on patrols at night. LionClan had awoken to screams more often now than when there were four Clans in the forest, and their suffering seemed to be never-ending.

Eight moons…

Eight moons since Brambleclaw had traveled to the Moonpool to become Bramblestar, after just two days of being ThunderClan's new deputy.

Eight moons.

Bramblestar stood atop the Highledge. He was sure he had these thoughts every day he woke and every time he stepped out to the edge of the Highledge to look down on LionClan.

ThunderClan and WindClan had gathered most of its forces in the stone hollow. It was the safest of the two Clans' camps, but WindClan's camp was not undefended – there was always a large patrol of battle-fit warriors stationed there to keep TigerClan from getting their greedy claws on it. The stone hollow, Onestar and Bramblestar agreed, was the most easily defended, and safer for queens, elders, and kits.

The warriors mingled with one another as if they were from the same Clan – Bramblestar watched a WindClan elder he had known since the old forest share tongues openly with Mousefur, the crotchety brown she-cat. Warriors mingled with one another, a sense of unity fresh in the air – at first it had been hard for them to coexist, but now it was as effortless as if they had been born together.

Older warriors were the hardest to convince, though. Bramblestar spotted Dustpelt snorting at Tornear, while Ashfoot and Cloudtail were clearly arguing about something petty and small. Bramblestar knew that no cats got along perfectly, but he had hoped that some differences would smooth away after a while – some cats just found it hard to accept that they were one Clan right now.

The apprentices and kits got along best, though – most of them were only kits when TigerClan came to be, but now they were Clanmates through and through. Bramblestar often found himself wondering if they knew that LionClan had once been two Clans, and would be again – in the end, if LionClan triumphed and the four Clans returned to normal, it would be those cats who took it the hardest.

Those warriors not out on patrol were waiting about in the clearing, their paws muddy and wet from the melting snow and soft newleaf earth. The sun was climbing into the sky steadily, and Bramblestar caught a flash of fur from the corner of his eye.

Three kits bundled out of the nursery, their bodies stocky, but lean, their fur still kit-soft. They bundled towards the well-stocked fresh-kill pile, only to be called back by an irritated Ferncloud. They were big and they were strong… and they were six moons old.

_Will LionClan truly accept them?_ Bramblestar thought. These three were the kits of Leafpool and Crowfeather, a WindClan tom. They had been conceived before the joining of the Clans, and thus it made their existence taboo – though Leafpool and Crowfeather were certainly no longer mates in the official sense, their relationship had shattered the warrior code.

_The warrior code has bent around such things before,_ Bramblestar thought, thinking of Bluestar and her kits, and of Stormfur, whose parents had been from different Clans, too. But with all that had happened it was hard to tell just what parts of the warrior code had survived the devastation of TigerClan.

Onestar padded out onto the Highledge, his fur barely brushing Bramblestar's. They shared a den only on cold nights – Onestar still enjoyed sleeping out underneath the stars. Last night had been terribly cold, though, and the tabby tom had reluctantly slunk up the stony steps to his half of the Highledge den. Whitetail, his mate, did not join him.

"Are you sure of their mentors?" Onestar asked.

Bramblestar nodded.

Onestar flicked an ear. "We should have a WindClan cat mentor one of them," he insisted. "Their father is WindClan!"

"We are all one Clan now, Onestar," Bramblestar meowed. "Besides, WindClan had few warriors to begin with, and nearly all of them have apprentices now. What warrior would be fit?"

"Nightcloud," Onestar named. "Weaselfur."

"Weaselfur is too inexperienced," Bramblestar meowed. "Once he's watched a few _LionClan_ training sessions, he can have one of Ferncloud's kits. And Nightcloud… do I need to express why that would be a bad idea?"

Onestar was silent. He didn't want to admit that he was right – Nightcloud was the mother of Breezepaw, Crowfeather's older son, born a moon before Leafpool's kits in a time when the Clans were still separated. Crowfeather hadn't known about Leafpool's kits then, and he had taken Nightcloud as his mate to calm the worries of his Clan. Once Leafpool's kits were revealed to his, though, Nightcloud refused to be Crowfeather's mate any longer.

No, Bramblestar did not want to risk Nightcloud's ire by asking her to mentor one of Crowfeather's other kits.

"You're giving one of them to Leafpool, aren't you?" Onestar asked.

"I promised Barkface that I would," Bramblestar meowed. "Leafpool wasn't too happy about it, but I think on the inside she wants to spend time with her kits."

It was part of the agreement he had made with Barkface and Onestar – Leafpool could remain medicine cat so long as one of her kits became her apprentice. Bramblestar was just hoping that one of them secretly wanted to be medicine cat – right now, all three were clamoring to be warriors. One of them was about to get seriously disappointed, and there was nothing Bramblestar could do about it. The situation they were in made it hard to negotiate such things – they needed every medicine cat.

Onestar nodded his head. "It's for the best," he meowed.

_Taking away their ability to choose?_ Bramblestar thought. He looked down at the three kits as they scampered through the camp, getting underpaw and announcing to every cat that today was their ceremony. _That is what we've come to?_

"Call them," Onestar meowed.

Bramblestar raised his voice: "Let all of LionClan gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

* * *

"Hold still, will you?" Ferncloud gasped. "I swear, I've never seen such squirmy kits!"

"Look, Lionkit – there's Heatherpaw and Breezepaw!" Spottedkit exclaimed. Robinkit heard her pawsteps scrabble against the softening ground as she squirmed away from Ferncloud's rasping tongue. "We'll be sleeping with them tonight!"

"I can't wait!" Lionkit breathed.

"Neither can I!" Spottedkit meowed. "This is the best day ever!"

"Get back here!" Ferncloud snapped. "At least Robinkit has the sense not to squirm away from me when he's supposed to be getting groomed for his apprentice ceremony. You three are going to be late!"

Robinkit heard his brother and sister's pawsteps as they padded back to Ferncloud. Robinkit heard the rasp of her tongue as she swept it over Spottedkit… no, Lionkit's head. Lionkit was bigger, and the sound was too far above Robinkit's ears for it to be Spottedkit. He could hear Foxkit and Icekit, Ferncloud's kits, pestering Daisy about becoming apprentices themselves. The gentle queen was beside herself with annoyance.

"Heatherpaw said she would teach me how to fight," Lionkit boasted. Robinkit could almost feel that kithood crush of Lionkit's coming from him in waves, as if it were a tangible thing. Heatherpaw and her littermates Harepaw and Kestrelpaw, Whitetail's kits, had been apprenticed last moon. They, along with Breezepaw, had been the only company that was close to the kits' age. Foxkit and Icekit were too young for proper games, having only just opened their eyes a quarter moon ago.

_Not even an apprentice and he's already moony,_ Robinkit complained. _I'll never be like that._

"Your mentor will teach you," Ferncloud said patiently. "Other apprentices can help you learn, but your mentors will be the ones to teach you. So listen well to them!"

"We will," Spottedkit mewed.

"Behave yourselves," Ferncloud fretted. "Be respectful, and mind your manners and mentors."

"We promise we will," Lionkit meowed. "Right, Robinkit?"

"Of course," Robinkit grumbled. _Why does she have to talk like that?_ He wondered, listening to Ferncloud's breathing, her heartbeat ruffling his ear fur. _She's not our mother… Leafpool is._

He could scent her – herbs and oak and leaves – just across the clearing. He didn't know every cat-scent by name – there were far too many – but he could never forget hers. If he listened hard enough, he could hear her talking with Barkface about a warrior who had a thorn in their paw.

"There's mother," Spottedkit murmured. They had seen her, too.

"Where's father?" Lionkit asked.

"Over there, all on his own," Spottedkit replied.

Robinkit twitched his nose. Crowfeather, their father, smelled like heather and a moorland breeze. He and their mother, Leafpool, had broken the warrior code and had become mates before the formation of LionClan. When Leafpool's secret could no longer be hidden, Bramblestar and Onestar decided that it was for the best if she kept her position as medicine cat… but it severely cut into her time with her kits.

What made things even more complicated was that Breezepaw was also Crowfeather's kit, by a warrior named Nightcloud. When Leafpool's kits were revealed to be Crowfeather's, Nightcloud renounced him as her mate in fury, and Breezepaw was all but isolated from his half-kin, though he cared a great deal for Robinkit, Lionkit, and Spottedkit. Nightcloud and Leafpool didn't often associate with one another, but the whole of LionClan didn't seem to know how to treat the three cats anymore. Some were on Crowfeather's side, and some were on Nightcloud's… but it seemed as if no one was on Leafpool's side.

"Owlwhisker went to sit with him," Lionkit went on. "But he's not even looking at us or at Leafpool…"

"Leave him be," Ferncloud murmured. Robinkt heard her paw press against Lionkit's fur as she pulled him closer. "If he wants to be grumpy the day his kits are made apprentices, let him."

Robinkit sighed. He didn't want to focus on his grumpy father or his mother. He pricked his ears and listened to Bramblestar as he meowed:

"On this day, we gather here to apprentice three young kits. They had all reached their sixth moon, and are to be given mentors and trained as warriors," he called. "Spottedkit, Lionkit, and Robinkit – please come forward."

"That's you," Ferncloud whispered. Robinkit felt her nudge him forward with her muzzle. His fur brushed against Lionkit's, and Robinkit silently thanked her for not making it obvious that Robinkit wasn't sure where to go. "Tails up, eyes bright! This is an important day!"

Robinkit followed Lionkit's pawsteps as they padded through the crowd of cats. Robinkit picked up several hushed whispers, either about him or Leafpool or Crowfeather. His pelt bristled.

"Stop that, you hedgehog!" Lionkit whispered.

"Don't let what they say get to you," Spottedkit insisted, her pelt brushing his. "They're just being mean for the sake of being mean. You're just as good as the rest of us, Robinkit."

_Am I?_ he wondered. _Am I really?_

They stopped. Robinkit had to make sure to stop near the same time they did, or the whisperings would continue. Lionkit and Spottedkit touched their tails to his flanks, and he sat down between them when he heard their haunches crunch against the turf.

All was silent – to most cats, at least - for a moment. It was a long moment. Robinkit could almost feel Bramblestar's gaze on him. The hollow was filled with the sounds of cats' breathing, or fur swishing in the wind. Their scents washed over Robinkit, each cat having the same base scent, but with an individual flavor all their own. He could almost hear the twitch of whiskers, or the blink a warrior's eye.

"Spottedkit, come forward."

Spottedkit stood up and padded forward.

"From this moment on until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Spottedpaw," Bramblestar declared. Robinkit heard Spottedpaw's breath catch in her throat as she waited for the name of her mentor. "Spottedpaw, Onestar and I have decided that Brackenfur will be your mentor."

_Brackenfur? A deputy?_ Robinkit thought. _Yes, that's a good fit for her._ Brackenfur was a noble cat with wisdom beyond his seasons. He would mesh well with Spottedpaw's eager, loyal-to-a-fault nature.

He heard Brackenfur approach. The nose-touching was silent, but the entirety of LionClan seemed to breathe a sigh. Brackenfur settled next to Spottedpaw.

"Lionkit, come forward."

Lionkit obeyed, leaving Robinkit all alone in the clearing.

"From this moment on until he earns his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Lionpaw," Bramblestar announced. "Sorreltail, you are ready for your first apprentice – you will be mentor to Lionpaw. Teach him all you know."

"I will," Sorreltail promised.

Robinkit heard her pad up from the crowd to touch noses with Lionpaw. Sorreltail was mother to Honeypaw, Cinderpaw, and Poppypaw, a trio of older apprentice sisters that had gotten their names a moon after Robinkit and his siblings opened their eyes. Brackenfur was their father, but Robinkit was sure it was a coincidence.

"Robinkit, come forward."

Robinkit obeyed the command, stopping at about where he thought his siblings were. The Clan's murmuring began again, and Robinkit trembled at their words.

"You can't be serious!" Tornear shouted from within the crowd. "Making _him_ an apprentice!"

"As if we don't have enough burdens to worry about, without adding a _blind apprentice_ to the list!" snapped another cat. Robinkit didn't know their voice or scent well.

"Be silent!" Bramblestar commanded. The Clan obeyed. "Robinkit, until you receive your full name you will be known as Robinpaw."

_This doesn't sound right,_ Robinpaw thought. _He's not using the same words._

"As per our agreement, Barkface," Bramblestar meowed, his voice heavy. "I give Robinpaw to Leafpool for his training."

_Leafpool?!_ Robinpaw thought. The world was suddenly a cacophony of sounds – of cats muttering, cats yelling, but his own thoughts drowned them all out.

_I'm being made into a medicine cat?!_

"That's not fair!" Spottedpaw shouted. "Robinpaw can do just as well as a warrior!"

"Yeah!" Lionpaw agreed. "He doesn't want to be a medicine cat!"

_It doesn't matter what I want,_ Robinpaw realized. _I'm a burden… and this was all Bramblestar and Onestar could think of for me to do. It's all I'm useful for._

"Leafpool shouldn't even _be_ a medicine cat, let alone mentor one of her own kits!" snapped a cat. It was a more familiar voice – Dustpelt, a senior warrior nearly as old as Tornear.

"We need all the paws we can get," Barkface shouted over them all. "Leafpool must remain a medicine cat if we are to manage all our wounded. Her punishment will be carried out when TigerClan is defeated. She has not shared tongues with StarClan for eight moons – it is time for her to train an apprentice to take her place."

"But her own son?" Dustpelt growled.

"Her kits are not the ones at fault here," insisted Whitetail, Onestar's mate. "Robinpaw can be trained as a medicine cat."

"Leafpool, do you accept Robinpaw as your apprentice?" Bramblestar asked.

Robinpaw could almost feel the sadness in her mew as she replied, "I do."

"Then at the half-moon you shall travel with him to the Moonpool and offer him to StarClan," Bramblestar decided. "Take care of him."

He heard his mother pad up to him, and smelled her scent with every breath he took. She bent down to touch her nose to his, but before the contact she murmured, "I'm sorry, Robinpaw…"

She touched his nose, and Robinpaw's world shattered.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Squirrelflight dreamed she was in ThunderClan_ territory, racing beside her love. Bramblestar matched her pace, step for step, their tails streaming from behind them as they crossed lengths and lengths of their territory together. Their prints were as if they were one cat, and though they were focused on one another, they dodged every tree and branch perfectly.

They belonged here. This was their home.

But then Bramblestar changed. His chest and paws turned white, and his eyes became ice-blue flame. His build shrank, but only a fraction, and his pelt lightened just a shade. His claws – huge golden talons – flashed and before Squirrelflight could react they were tearing at her throat, spilling her life's blood from her.

Hawkstar stood over her as her dream ended, cackling triumphantly. "The fire of ThunderClan has been extinguished!" he declared. "Now I can rule the forest!"

Squirrelflight watched as he raised his paw, with claws tinged red with blood and flame. She closed her eyes as he brought it down on top of her head…

… and awoke to her prison.

Squirrelflight breathed heavily, trying to regain her composure. It had been a dream – but it had felt so real! This, though – this was not a dream.

Her prison was dank, dark, and cool – a hollowed-out willow log lined with moss. It had its comforts, but Squirrelflight knew it was a prison all the same. The narrow entrance that let a shaft of newleaf sunshine light her "home" was always guarded by TigerClan warriors.

Eight moons she had been stuck here, as Hawkstar's prisoner. She'd watched him – seen the terrible things he'd done to bring RiverClan and ShadowClan beneath him with her own eyes. Slaying Leopardstar, Blackstar… murdering poor Littlecloud when he tried speaking out. Squirrelflight had watched it all, just as she had watched her father die, and the memories would never leave her.

She had watched, powerless as StarClan, as Hawkfrost became Hawkstar – leader of the fearsome and bloodthirsty TigerClan. Where his nine lives had come from, Squirrelflight didn't want to know.

Her attempts to escape had only been met with Hawkstar's mocking glare and Ashfur's emotionless grunting as they dragged her back, kicking and screeching. Hawkstar seemed to think that Squirrelflight's drive for freedom was nothing but a game, and he laughed every time she spat at his paws.

Hope was waning within her, flickering like a tiny flame. Every day it got dimmer and dimmer, and every day it threatened to go out completely.

What could she do? More than a dozen murderous warriors lay between her and LionClan, between her and Bramblestar. She was a quick, strong warrior – but not _that_ strong. No cat was strong enough to take on so many warriors and make it out alive. And she was out of practice - eight moons she had been left to rot in this prison, and she had never had a chance to flex her claws.

Squirrelflight pushed herself up from her nest, tasting the smell of her guards – Smokefoot and Voletooth, both loyal to Hawkstar like a bird was loyal to the sky. There would be no sympathy from them. Occasionally she would get Rowanclaw, who would throw her a bit more fresh-kill, or Mosspelt, a gentle queen who would give her extra moss or feathers for her nest – but Hawkstar made sure that her guards were never the same as they had been the night before. These two would only make her day worse.

_Eight moons,_ she thought, sadness tearing at her heart. _Eight moons of being a prisoner. Eight moons of being stuck here, with TigerClan. Eight moons of wondering whether each battle will be LionClan's last… Eight moons of wondering if my old friends might die today…_

_Oh Bramblestar,_ she thought. _I know you're trying… but I just can't fight anymore._

"Hey," grunted Voletooth. "You awake?"

Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes. She might not be able to fight, but that didn't mean she would let them walk all over her. "What's it to you?" she growled.

Voletooth peeked his head into the log and spat at her. "Put your fur down," he snapped. "Get out here."

Squirrelflight lashed her tail, but she obeyed. It was either that or get a blow to the head from the former RiverClan warrior. She pushed past Voletooth and into the sunshine, grateful for the fresh air. Voletooth and Smokefoot took up positions on either side of her.

TigerClan had made their camp in the former RiverClan camp – a collection of islands surrounded by shallow streams and protected by low-hanging willow trees. From what Squirrelflight had heard, there was always a battalion of warriors stationed in the former ShadowClan camp, to keep LionClan from taking it. Looking around, Squirrelflight figured that it was the groups hadn't been changed yet – the same cats that had been missing three sunrises ago were also missing today.

The camp was well-protected, and constantly patrolled by warriors. The entrance was also guarded daily and nightly. Squirrelflight had to admit that however insane Hawkstar was, he knew how to run a camp and make sure that the security was tight – no matter how hard LionClan had pushed, they had not managed to get into the TigerClan camp.

"Stop daydreaming!" snapped Smokefoot. His gruff voice jolted Squirrelflight out of her thoughts. "Go get your breakfast."

Squirrelflight flattened her ears. She padded to the fresh-kill pile, which was guarded by Oakfur. The older warrior was busy doling out shares of fresh-kill from the pile to warriors and apprentices who were lined up to eat. The distribution was fair – one piece per cat, two for the elders and queens. Oakfur was loyal, but occasionally he would take sympathy and give her an extra bit.

The line wasn't long – Squirrelflight and her escorts were just behind Dawnflower, an elderly queen who had been RiverClan before TigerClan unified her Clan with ShadowClan.

"I need some for Tawnypelt and the kits, too," Dawnflower requested. "They might be able to start eating something solid now that they're two moons old."

Oakfur nodded and let out a sharp call. His apprentice, Toadpaw, was at his side in a flash.

"Help Dawnflower take fresh-kill to Tawnypelt and her kits," Oakfur ordered.

Toadpaw nodded. Together, Dawnflower and Toadpaw gathered up five pieces of fresh-kill and headed across the camp to the nursery. Two for Dawnflower, two for Tawnypelt, and one for the three squirmy kits to split.

Oakfur coughed, and Squirrelflight turned her gaze back to him.

"One for you, then," Oakfur sighed. Using his paw, he dislodged a trout from the pile. Squirrelflight cringed as he pushed it over to her. "There you go."

Squirrelflight threw him a look. "Have anything with… fur?" she asked.

"Shut it," growled Voletooth. "You don't _get_ to pick."

"He's right, unfortunately," Oakfur agreed. "No one gets to pick."

Squirrelflight sighed. She grasped the trout in her teeth while Oakfur doled out her guards' breakfasts. Another trout for Voletooth, and a mouse for Smokefoot. Squirrelflight was led to a lonely corner of the camp to eat. She ignored the stares she got from the other warriors – she was used to it by now.

Voletooth settled down and took generous bites from his trout. Smokefoot was less messy, but he seemed to like his mouse. Squirrelflight set down her trout – she'd had fish before, but she's always found it too strong for her tastes.

Swallowing her pride, she took a bite. Its flavor was musky and strong, threatening to overwhelm her. She swallowed and managed another bite before pushing the trout away for good – she could stand waiting until sunset to eat if she was going to eat something that would upset her stomach so.

Voletooth didn't both to ask her if it was OK – he simply took the remains of her trout and gobbled it up for himself. Squirrelflight didn't care for his lack of manners. She felt the trout settling uncomfortably in her stomach and she shivered.

_I'll get a mouse next time,_ she told herself.

"Voletooth, Smokefoot!"

The two warriors looked up. Blackclaw was approaching. Ever since he had been named one of Hawkstar's deputies, his gait had a swagger that made Squirrelflight want to beat it out of him. The smoky black warrior stopped before them.

"You two are free to go," he told them. "Go get Beechfur and tell him it's his turn to watch her for the day – then get some rest. You two are on the sunset patrol."

The two warriors got up gratefully – but just as they were about to get Beechfur, a screech tore through the air.

Ears pricked, and heads shot up. Squirrelflight looked up, too, as the warriors of TigerClan began to form a thick crowd around the entrance of camp.

"What is this madness?" Blackclaw cursed. He yowled, "Calm down!"

The Clan didn't obey. Another screech tore through the air, and the Clan clamored loudly.

"_Silence!"_

The Clan was quiet, turning their heads to see Hawkstar, their leader. The massive dark brown tabby tom was prowling out of his den in a fallen willow, his blue eyes sharp and cold. Squirrelflight took a step back, her fur bristling, as Ashfur followed. Russetfur and Blackclaw might be Hawkstar's deputy, but Ashfur was the cat who did all of Hawkstar's dirty work. Ashfur was the reason why Firestar was dead, and Squirrelflight could never, ever forgive him for that.

TigerClan parted around them as the padded into the center of camp. Squirrelflight had a better view of the camp entrance now. The screeching had died down, and now Squirrelflight could see why it had been happening in the first place.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hawkstar asked.

"We were patrolling near the LionClan border by the Horseplace when we came across her, Hawkstar," explained Reedwhisker. "Pouncepaw scented her – when we went to investigate, she lashed out and caught Pouncepaw in the eye."

Squirrelflight craned her neck. Reedwhisker, Mistyfoot's son, was standing with the rest of the dawn patrol. Pouncepaw was shivering beside him, one of his green eyes bloodied. Icewing, Snowbird, and Applepaw had their paws planted on the body of a struggling dark gray tabby she-cat, whose yellow eyes glowed like the sun.

_She doesn't _look_ that tough,_ Squirrelflight thought.

"Who are you?" growled Hawkstar. "What were you doing in TigerClan territory?"

"None of your business," the gray she-cat snapped. She struggled under the weight of her captors.

"What do we do with her?" Reedwhisker asked. "Should we let her go?"

Hawkstar chuckled. "Of course not," he purred. "She spilled TigerClan blood, and she should be punished. I won't let the hurt of your apprentice go unpunished, Reedwhisker."

The gray she-cat's eyes widened. She growled, "I didn't mean to hurt the little cat but he startled me! What was I supposed to do, die?"

"Yes," Hawkstar growled back.

The gray she-cat narrowed her eyes at him. Squirrelflight shook her head in disbelief. Was this really happening right now?

"Throw her in the log with Squirrelflight until I decide what's to be done with her," Hawkstar decided. "And get Mothwing – Pouncepaw is bloodying up the clearing."

With that, Hawkstar turned and padded away. Ashfur followed like a pale shadow, his eyes stark and cold. Squirrelflight ignored them and turned her attention back to the stranger. She was still struggling as Icewing and Snowbird let her up – but once she was on her paws the fight left her stance. She was surrounded, and she knew it.

"You heard him!" Blackclaw crowed. "Go back to your duties, all of you!"

TigerClan dispersed reluctantly. Reedwhisker led Pouncepaw over to Mothwing's den, where her apprentice Willowpaw was waiting, while Icewing and Snowbird escorted the rogue stranger towards Squirrelflight.

Up close, it was clear that this she-cat had not seen many fights – her pelt was hardly marked but for her recent scrapes, and one of her paws was wet with Pouncepaw's blood. Squirrelflight was pushed back by Icewing as the white she-cat strode past, and she slammed into Voletooth.

"Ugh!" scoffed the tom. "What do you think you're doing? Get back in your hole!"

"Yeah," Smokefoot grumbled. "You've got company. For now."

Squirrelflight's shoulder fur bristled as she was escorted back to the willow stump. She could see the gray she-cat's yellow eyes gleaming from within the gloom.

Who was she, and why had she come here?

_What's going to happen to her?_ Squirrelflight thought. _How long will it be until Hawkstar kills her?_

All Squirrelflight knew was that this other she-cat had made a fatal mistake. Leopardstar, Blackstar, Littlecloud, and all the other cats who dared trifle with Hawkstar had proven that there was no mercy in TigerClan.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_I can't believe they made Robinpaw_ a medicine cat!" Spottedpaw spat. Her dappled neck fur was bristling. "A _bug_ could see he wanted to be a warrior!"

"A bug could _see,"_ Lionpaw pointed out.

Spottedpaw let out a shocked hiss. "Lionpaw!" she snapped. "How dare you – that's _not_ funny!"

Lionpaw ducked underneath her paw as it swung at him. He was sure she might've had her claws unsheathed for that blow, and in a way he figured he deserved it.

"Will you listen to me?" he asked, standing up straight. "Robinpaw should have known that Bramblestar and Onestar would make a decision like that – TigerClan would rip him to shreds, and you know it."

"But -"

Lionpaw threw her a hard look. He knew how smart his sister was – he knew she could see that Robinpaw would make a poor warrior. It was heartbreaking to watch Robinpaw sulking away behind Leafpool, but it was a tough reality. Were they not at war, maybe Robinpaw could have been a warrior apprentice. Maybe that allowance could have been made – but not now.

Spottedpaw sighed in defeat. "It's just… so hard, you know?" she murmured. "He's had his eye on fighting beside us since he could _think_ about it and…"

Lionpaw butted his head into her shoulder affectionately. "I know," he meowed back. "But Bramblestar and Onestar are just looking out for him… like we do."

Spottedpaw twitched her whiskers.

"Alright you two!"

Lionpaw and Spottedpaw looked up attentively as Brackenfur and Sorreltail made their way over to them. The crowd was all but cleared from the Clan meeting, and warm air rushed through the hollow.

"Since it's too dangerous to take untrained apprentices out on border patrol immediately, we'll be working on some basic fighting moves first," Brackenfur decided. "Now I know that might sound like too much, but Sorreltail and I think -"

Spottedpaw's eyes were gleaming. "We're learning to fight? Already?"

Lionpaw could feel his sister's thirst for knowledge like a great, sucking vacuum, threatening to pull the entire Clan in. Lionpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement as Sorreltail and Brackenfur exchanged a confused glance – they obviously hadn't expected Spottedpaw's eagerness.

It only took Brackenfur a moment to recover, though. "We'll be heading for the training hollow immediately," he meowed. "We'll be working on the basics today and tomorrow, and once Sorreltail and I think you're ready you'll be heading out to patrol the territory at sunset tomorrow."

Spottedpaw gave a happy trill. Lionpaw, however, focused his excitement inwards. He couldn't wait to learn real fighting moves, not the boxing and playing that they'd known as kittens. He wanted to know every move he could manage so that he could take down those evil TigerClan cats.

This was just the beginning.

* * *

"Take a sniff, Robinpaw," Leafpool said gently. "Tell me what you smell."

_You mean, other than my own disappointment?_ Robinpaw thought bitterly. _Spottedpaw and Lionpaw are off learning battle moves – off learning how to fight and defend the Clan. I'm stuck here, shoved into a cave, forced to sniff herbs until I sneeze._

_Why didn't I get a choice?_

Robinpaw knew the answer to that. Leafpool's betrayal had to come at a some price – even though she couldn't be punished properly now that the Clans were at war, she had to face some sort of ramification. But if this – forcing him to be her apprentice – was the only solution Barkface could come up with, Robinpaw severely questioned the other medicine cat's intelligence.

"Robinpaw," Leafpool called. "I asked you to sniff."

Robinpaw curled his lip, but he bent his head and obeyed. The leaves before him had a familiar scent, but he didn't know their name. They felt soft against his nose, like grass.

"These are goldenrod," Leafpool told him. "Its petals can be crushed to create a poultice that's good for staving off infections."

"I've scented this before," Robinpaw admitted, pushing the petals towards Leafpool's voice with one paw.

He heard her sigh.

"I feel like I've used more goldenrod in the past season than any medicine cat has ever had to in their life," Leafpool confessed. Robinpaw could feel the regret in her voice. He heard her gather up the petals in her paws.

"It grows well in the uplands – there are several good places to find it there. Barkface went to go collect some more for the stores," chirped Kestrelpaw from the other side of the den. From the sound of his pawsteps and the _drip drip_ of water, Robinpaw estimated that Kestrelpaw was near the pool at the back of the den. "I wish I could have gone with him."

_Lionpaw and Spottedpaw are out training,_ Robinpaw thought wistfully. He'd heard Spottedpaw's excited trilling from inside the den. _I wish I were with them._

He heard Leafpool shuffling about. By the sound of her pawsteps, Robinpaw guessed she was in the store at the back. It sounded like the store was far off, yet close by. _In a crack, perhaps?_ Robinpaw wondered.

When Leafpool came out again she smelled of dusty herbs. She coughed, "Barkface left you behind so that you would organize the herbs in the store, Kestrelpaw! It's a mess in there."

"Whoops!" Kestrelpaw said. "Sorry. I'll get on it right away."

Robinpaw heard Kestrelpaw venture into the strange pocket. Robinpaw tipped his head at the strange way the sounds felt in his ears. He was used to hearing activity outside of the nursery, but there were more holes in the nursery walls than there were here in the medicine cat's stony den. Everything seemed quieter.

"Kestrelpaw is in the store right now," Leafpool offered quietly. "There's a small crack at the back of the cave, and -"

"I figured that out already!" Robinpaw snapped. His neck fur was bristling – he didn't need her coddling!

"I was simply trying to help," Leafpool meowed. "I know your ears are better than any cats', Robinpaw."

He heard her push another pile of leaves towards him. She asked, "Take a sniff of these."

Robinpaw did. Another familiar smell.

"These are known as tormentil," Leafpool told him. "They grow in colder areas, but we've found a supply in the Twoleg nest in our territory – it's been a vital herb these past few moons."

"I assume it heals wounds?" Robinpaw mewed.

He didn't hear Leafpool nod, but her reply sounded as if she had. "It's good for treating most all wounds, and Barkface even told me that in the old forest he used it to extract poisons. We don't have much of it here by the lake but what we do have has been very helpful."

Robinpaw sighed. "So… do we only have herbs that heal wounds?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Leafpool wondered, confused.

"You've only been showing me herbs that you've used to heal wounds and stave off infections," Robinpaw pointed out. "Goldenrod, garlic, and now this tormentil stuff… don't we have any herbs that cure sickness?"

Leafpool was silent. Robinpaw could hear her breathing, feel her heartbeat through the rock beneath his paws.

"We have herbs that help with sickness and things like that…" Leafpool began, "but to be honest, Robinpaw, we haven't had as much trouble with sickness as of late. Our worries – and herbs – are mostly with the cats who will be severely wounded by TigerClan."

"TigerClan is merciless," Kestrelpaw complained. He had pushed himself out of the herb store and Robinpaw could smell the dried herb dust on his pelt. "Owlwhisker nearly died in the last battle – they almost split him right open!"

Robinpaw shuddered in remembrance. The last moon's encounter with TigerClan had left many wounded, but none more than Owlwhisker. The young warrior had been struck ear to tail by a TigerClan attack. It was by the grace of StarClan that he didn't die.

"Since TigerClan began their attacks wounds have been our primary concern," Leafpool went on solemnly. "We have plenty of herbs to cure sickness should it arise… but I fear that claws, not sickness, will be the death of our Clanmates."

Robinpaw frowned.

"Kestrelpaw, did Barkface say he was making a delivery to the moorland group?" Leafpool asked.

"He said he might stop by, make sure they're all right," Kestrelpaw meowed. "He didn't take any herbs with him, though."

"Make up a packet for delivery then, just in case," Leafpool ordered. "Robinpaw, you help – Kestrelpaw will teach you what goes into the delivery packet, and he'll teach you how to wrap the leaves."

_Kestrelpaw? Teach me? _Robinpaw thought.

Kestrelpaw must have felt the same, because he protested, "But Leafpool, I -"

"I know," Leafpool meowed. "You're just an apprentice yourself – but you have a moon's experience on Robinpaw. You'll be fine. I'm going to check on Owlwhisker – thanks for the reminder – and then I'll be right back."

There was no more discussion. Robinpaw heard Leafpool's paws hit the stone, and he listened as she padded off.

"Your mother's a real good medicine cat," Kestrelpaw commented.

"I'm sure," Robinpaw sighed. He padded over to Kestrelpaw's voice, settling beside the tom. He could feel the very ends of Kestrelpaw's fur touching his pelt, and the shuffle of paws as Kestrelpaw arranged the herbs properly. Robinpaw wanted to sneeze at the dust on the other apprentice's pelt.

Together, they wrapped up a packet of herbs for the moorland warriors – warriors who were stationed in WindClan's former camp, to keep it defended from TigerClan raids. Goldenrod, a little tormentil, and some other herbs that Kestrelpaw was happy to describe were wrapped up tightly into a leafy bundle.

To Robinpaw, the bundling was the hardest part. He could feel the ends of the leaves, but couldn't seem to wrap them together properly. He ended up giving up with a growl and letting Kestrelpaw do it.

"I know you don't like doing this," Kestrelpaw murmured, once he was done. "But you'll get used to it."

"I don't want to do something I have to get used to," Robinpaw growled back. "I want to do something I _want_ to do."

Kestrelpaw was silent. Then, he said, "What you want sometimes doesn't match up with what's necessary."

"Why should I pay for my mother's mistake?" Robinpaw snapped. "Why should I be stuck here, mixing herbs and all this other boring stuff when I _want_ to be out there, fighting TigerClan and protecting my Clanmates?"

"Bramblestar and Onestar decided -"

"They decided _for me,"_ Robinpaw snapped irritably. "Don't try and make me feel better, Kestrelpaw – I don't _want_ to be here. I don't _want_ to babysit sick and hurt cats. I want to fight, and I _will_ fight."

Kestrelpaw was silent.

"What, nothing to say to that?" Robinpaw wondered.

Kestrelpaw's tail brushed against Robinpaw's shoulder, up to his chin. Robinpaw sensed he was trying to show him something, so he allowed his head to follow Kestrelpaw's tail. His mother's scent drifted over into his nose, and his fur began to prickle when he realized that her heartbeat was panicky.

"Mother, I…" Robinpaw began.

She cut him off firmly: "We'll talk later – Owlwhisker's wound is infected."


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_Infected?" Robinpaw breathed._

"Yes," Leafpool sighed. "I just checked on him now – he's got a fever, and his wound smells awful. Weaselfur and Whitetail are helping him here. Get a nest ready – quickly!"

Robinpaw's anger at his position dissipated easily as he and Kestrelpaw patted together a nest of moss for Owlwhisker. Robinpaw scented the warrior before he heard the limp shuffle of his paws against the stone floor – they put the finishing touches on Owlwhisker's nest as Whitetail and Weaselfur lowered him into it.

Owlwhisker let out a pained groan. Robinpaw took a few steps back, suddenly feeling very crowded. His paws pulsed – Owlwhisker's heartbeat was faint, weaker than he'd ever thought a heartbeat could be.

"Thank you," Leafpool murmured to the warriors.

"Is there anything you need?" Whitetail asked.

"Yes, actually," Leafpool meowed. Her voice was cool and clear despite the tension Robinpaw could feel from her. "Barkface is in the forest – find him and tell him what's happened."

"I'll get on it," Weaselfur meowed.

"There's also a packet of herbs that needs to be taken to the moorland group," Leafpool added.

"I'll see to it someone takes it," Whitetail promised. "Take care of him."

"We will," Leafpool assured her.

Robinpaw heard pawsteps as the warriors padded out of the den.

"What do you need?" Kestrelpaw asked.

"Robinpaw, get some moss for Owlwhisker," Leafpool ordered. "Kestrelpaw, I need goldenrod, cobwebs, and some poppy seed. Hurry!"

Robinpaw got to his paws and padded to the back of the den, ears following the _drip drip_ of water. Moss grew beneath his paws, fuzzy and soft, but he knew there was a pile of rolled-up balls nearby. He gently searched with his paws until he found them, soft to the touch, and he hooked one with his claws. He soaked it in the water and then headed back to Leafpool.

She took the moss from him. From the dripping, Robinpaw could tell she as giving it to Owlwhisker – and from the cooing sounds coming from her, Robinpaw could tell she was urging him to drink. Robinpaw couldn't tell if Owlwhisker was complying though – he only heard a groan coming from the warrior.

Kestrelpaw was out of the store quickly, and Robinpaw listed as Leafpool crunched and chewed on the leaves and seeds she was given. Leafpool used the opportunity to teach them how to make the poultice, too, instructing them on how much to chew before spitting out the juice.

"Robinpaw, I want you to help me apply the poultice," Leafpool asked.

"R-Really? Me?" _After all I said? After all you heard?_

"Yes," Leafpool said.

Robinpaw sighed and padded over to the source of her voice. He could hear Owlwhisker's wheezing, smell the infection on his breath and body. Robinpaw curled his nose as Leafpool gently guided his paw into the wet, slimy poultice.

"Smell his wound," Leafpool instructed. "Be gentle when applying it."

Robinpaw took a deep breath. Owlwhisker's wound was easy to find – it stank more than anything he'd smelled before. Thankfully, the warrior was too weak to protest as Robinpaw – with Leafpool's encouragement – slathered on the mixture. Robinpaw tried to be as gentle as he could.

He shivered as he felt the wound – gaping open like a mouth – on Owlwhisker's side. Bile rose in his throat, but Robinpaw swallowed it down.

"Good, good," Leafpool mewed. She put a paw on his. "You can stop. I'll dress it with cobwebs now."

Robinpaw was grateful to take his paws away from the wound. He quickly tottered to the pool at the back of the den and dunked his paws, ignoring the wet and cold.

"Cobwebs are sticky," Leafpool was meowing. Robinpaw could hear her shuffling the leaf wrap that Kestrelpaw had brought. "You have to tease it with your claws just right to get them to work for you – but there's nothing better to use when stopping a wound from bleeding or helping keep infections away."

"Didn't you use cobwebs last time?" Robinpaw asked.

"We did," Kestrelpaw assured him.

"I took them off thinking that his wound had closed," Leafpool said, sighing. "But apparently I was wrong. This infection is going to be the fight of Owlwhisker's life."

Owlwhisker let out a groan. Robinpaw wondered if he could hear Leafpool.

"We have to be hopeful," Leafpool insisted. "We cannot think he won't survive."

Robinpaw wrinkled his nose. _He smells like death,_ he thought. _How can he survive? It doesn't seem like all the herbs in the world could help him now…_

* * *

"TigerClan warriors like to attack swiftly and decisively," Sorreltail told them. She sat in the middle of the training hollow, her dappled tail curled around her paws. "They aren't afraid to throw their weight around to unbalance smaller cats like you."

"That's why we've decided that your first lesson will be how to evade these sorts of blows," Brackenfur explained. He stood beside his mate, sunshine dappling his pelt. "TigerClan attacks mercilessly – they won't hesitate to kill you. In order to keep yourselves safe, you both need to know when it's the right time to fight, and the right time to flee."

"Take what we say here seriously now," Sorreltail added, looking at Lionpaw and Spottedpaw evenly. "You are inexperienced apprentices – I don't care how confident you are, trying to fight a TigerClan warrior will get you badly wounded, or worse. Until you have a few moons of training under your pelts, you _flee_ from battles with TigerClan. Is that understood?"

The thought of fleeing made Spottedpaw's pelt prickle. She exchanged a glance with her brother. There was determination in his eyes, and for a moment Spottedpaw wondered if he might protest – but in the end he nodded his head in agreement.

"We understand," Spottedpaw answered.

"Good," Sorreltail mewed, relieved.

"Can we fight TigerClan apprentices, though?" Lionpaw asked.

Brackenfur flicked his tail. "It depends on the circumstances," he said. "The apprentices are being taught to fight as ruthlessly as TigerClan warriors – some fight like warriors already. If you think you can handle an apprentice, go for it – but don't go in over your head. There's no shame in fleeing if it will save your life."

"Listen to that little voice inside," Sorreltail told them. "The voice that is there to protect you. It will tell you when you're in too deep and you need to flee."

"The most basic dodging maneuver is the roll," Brackenfur meowed. "Sorreltail will demonstrate."

Spottedpaw watched intently as Sorreltail crouched, her dappled tail still, and then in one swift, smooth movement, rolled onto her back and then sprang onto her paws again.

_Wow!_ Spottedpaw thought. She glanced at Lionpaw – he was watching, but he looked bored.

"It may look hard," Brackenfur told them, "but keep practicing and you'll be able to roll away from any situation. Try it yourselves."

Spottedpaw's excitement gave her a spring in her step as she put some distance between herself and Lionpaw. She crouched, like Sorreltail had, and then rolled to the side. She could feel immediately that she had done something wrong – her roll didn't feel as fluid as Sorreltail's had looked, and when she sprung to her paws she looked at Brackenfur expectantly.

"You did good for your first time," Brackenfur offered. "Your shoulders were too hunched, though – keep them relaxed."

"Was that it?" Spottedpaw asked. "Was that all I did wrong?"

Brackenfur blinked at her. "Yes," he replied. "Other than your shoulders being too tight, your execution was as flawless as if you'd done it before."

Spottedpaw's ears burned at his praise.

"Well, lucky her," Lionpaw complained. His back was dusty – Spottedpaw had been too busy focusing on herself to see how Lionpaw had done.

Sorreltail mewed encouragingly, "You're just a little bulkier than me, Lionpaw. You have to adjust for your weight. Keep at it, and I'm sure you'll get it."

"Why don't you try again, Spottedpaw?" Brackenfur asked. "Remember – relax yourself. That'll make your roll much smoother."

Spottedpaw nodded. She took a deep breath, and then let herself crouch. When she rolled this time, it felt natural and smooth. She sprung to her paws, looking at Brackenfur with triumph in her eyes.

"That was perfect!" Brackenfur praised.

Spottedpaw looked at her brother, hoping for some praise from him – but Lionpaw was busy being coached by Sorreltail on how to get his bulky shape to roll naturally on the ground.

"Don't worry," Brackenfur mewed, "they'll catch up. For now, let's see how you do dodging me as if I were attacking you."

Spottedpaw felt a little crestfallen that Lionpaw wasn't able to notice her success, but it was quickly overtaken by her eagerness to learn. She and Brackenfur gave Sorreltail and Lionpaw a wide swath of room in the hollow.

Brackenfur positioned himself a few tail-lengths away from Spottedpaw. "I want you to dodge my attack – I'll go slow at first, so you can get the timing right," he instructed.

Spottedpaw nodded and braced herself.

Brackenfur crossed the distance between them quickly – not as fast as Spottedpaw wagered he could, but quick enough. Spottedpaw was down and rolling just as she noticed Brackenfur raise his limb to swipe.

"Good job!" Brackenfur purred. "Now, a little faster!"

He came at her again. Spottedpaw hopped and rolled out of the way of his attacks – it was easy to see when he was going to swipe. Brackenfur didn't telegraph his next speed change, but Spottedpaw was already on her toes, dodging his attacks.

Dust spiraled from her paws as she hopped out of her latest roll. She was panting, but she was ready to dodge again. Brackenfur had stopped advancing, however.

"You're phenomenal!" Brackenfur purred. "It's like you can see my moves before I make them!"

Spottedpaw flattened her ears in embarrassment.

Sorreltail and Lionpaw had stopped training to watch. Lionpaw's whiskers twitched with pride, and Sorreltail's eyes gleamed with interest.

"That quick thinking will save your pelt against a TigerClan warrior," Sorreltail mewed. "It's a good thing you got your father's speed."

Spottedpaw blinked, unsure of whether that was a compliment. Even Lionpaw looked a little uncomfortable at the comment.

"Spottedpaw's always been like that," Lionpaw said. "She was no fun to play with… she always knew all our moves!"

"Well, there's not much variation when the only moves you know are swipe, jump, and bristle," Spottedpaw chuckled.

"OK, OK," Brackenfur mewed. "Let's get working on more dodging. Spottedpaw, you and I will work on some more advanced dodging techniques. Lionpaw and Sorreltail can keep working on rolling."

"He's almost got it," Sorreltail mewed. "And when they're done, they can spar and use what they've learned."

Brackenfur nodded in agreement. "Let's get to it!"

* * *

Robinpaw could sense that it was evening. Cats were huddled up, sharing tongues, and enjoying their meagerly-divided supper when Spottedpaw and Lionpaw returned home, dusty and laughing about their training.

Envy burned in Robinpaw's pelt – why couldn't _he_ have trained with them? Leafpool would have been just fine taking care of Owlwhisker with Kestrelpaw's help. She didn't _need_ him, not like she claimed she did.

His own dinner lay between his paws. He was sitting outside of the medicine cat's den, giving Owlwhisker some room to rest at Leafpool's request. Kestrelpaw was chatting with Heatherpaw, his sister, about her training just across the camp. Robinpaw heard Lionpaw's boisterous mew as he joined in to boast about besting Spottedpaw.

"She dodged every which way," he crowed, "but nothing beats brute strength!"

Robinpaw could imagine Spottedpaw rolling her eyes.

"You got lucky," Spottedpaw meowed. "Tomorrow during battle practice, I'll beat you good."

Heatherpaw was purring, "I'd like to see that!"

_So would I,_ Robinpaw thought.

"Robinpaw – come and eat with us!" Spottedpaw called across the clearing.

"Yeah!" Lionpaw agreed. "Tell us what you did today!"

Robinpaw curled his lip. As much as he wanted to tell them, he knew they would be bored – and the thought of them boasting about their warrior training made him feel ill. He turned around and pushed his fresh-kill with him, ignoring their concerned murmurings as he padded into the medicine cat's den.

He huddled up against the stone walls and shivered, wanting to cry out in frustration. _I'm a warrior!_ He thought. _Not a medicine cat – this _can't_ be my destiny!_

Robinpaw felt too sick to eat his dinner. He pushed it aside and curled up into a frustrated ball, focing his eyes shut.

_They can't make me be something I don't want to be – I won't let them!_


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Lights danced before Robinpaw's eyes – yes,_ he could see… and it was how he knew he was dreaming.

Robinpaw had been able to see in his dreams for as long as he could remember – it was a secret he kept to himself, knowing that not even Spottedpaw or Lionpaw or Leafpool would believe him if he explained.

There was a forest before him. Trees grew close together and thick undergrowth grew between the gaps, with vines twisting and twirling through up and up to the treetops. Robinpaw looked up in awe, feeling drawn to the dark, misty woods.

Robinpaw padded forward. Knowing he was dreaming made him more curious – what could harm him here? He was dreaming!

He found it difficult to push through the undergrowth – but once he pulled through the brambles and bristles, he found himself in what seemed like another world. The atmosphere was cool and dark, and musty smells of things that had never seen the sunrise touched Robinpaw's nose. Mushrooms grew in abundance, their springy tops larger than he ever imagined they could be.

Suddenly, the mushrooms began to glow – not all of them, only some, and they seemed to highlight a paw-worn path through the darkness. Robinpaw followed the greenish-blue glow, his heart pounding. What was here? What would he find?

Robinpaw followed the glowing mushrooms until they led him to a clearing. It seemed unnatural how the trees simply avoided this clearing, as it they could never grow here. Water streamed through the side opposite Robinpaw, the water dark and sluggish. Strange scents mixed here, scents Robinpaw didn't recognize.

_Where am I?_ he wondered.

As if the forest was answering his thoughts, the undergrowth rustled and a cat appeared.

Robinpaw was stunned – he'd never seen another cat in his dreams. Frankly, he'd never seen another cat before. He knew what one smelled like, what one felt like – but he'd never _seen_ one.

This cat had a lean, strong body. It was a tom, his pelt ragged and unkempt. His fur was solid gray, with darker stripes swirling like shadows. His eyes, amber, were narrowed and piercing.

"So, you're Robinpaw," he meowed.

"Y-Yes," Robinpaw replied, still stunned.

The tom raised his head approvingly. "I'm Silverhawk," he meowed. "And I hear you want to be a warrior."

* * *

"How is he doing?"

"He needs rest," Leafpool replied patiently. "But Owlwhisker should heal just fine, given time."

Bramblestar blinked at her. Crickets sang in the forest, and night had come upon the world. The stars of Silverpelt twinkled in the darkness, a misty band of whiteness that twisted and turned by the waning moon.

Leafpool sat beside Bramblestar on the Highledge, looking out over the hollow. From here Bramblestar could see Tornear and Brightheart posted down below in the clearing, their watchful eyes scanning the camp. Two other watchers – Spiderleg and Bramblestar's best friend Stormfur – were padding around the hollow itself, keeping watch over its edges.

"I didn't mean Owlwhisker," Bramblestar told her. "I meant Robinpaw."

Leafpool's ears pricked.

"Oh," she murmured. "That."

Bramblestar felt a pang of sympathy. "That bad?" he asked.

Leafpool nodded. "I heard him talking to Kestrelpaw earlier," she mewed quietly. "He said… he said _horrible_ things… Oh Bramblestar, he _hates_ being my apprentice! He hates _me!"_

Bramblestar flicked his tail against her shoulder – a gesture of comfort. "I doubt that," he assured her. "He's just angry, that's all. It will fade."

Leafpool shook her head. "No, no…" she murmured. "He'll be angry his whole life, the whole time he's a medicine cat. He'll hate me and blame me and…"

Bramblestar touched his nose to Leafpool's ear, and she quieted. The two had become close since Firestar's death and the formation of LionClan. When Leafpool's secret was discovered, Bramblestar was the first to leap to her defense when Onestar demanded she leave her post. Bramblestar also had helped negotiate with Barkface, allowing for Leafpool to stay in the position that she belonged in – at least until she trained another apprentice.

"You know I couldn't make him a warrior," Bramblestar sighed. "Not with a good conscience. Brightheart manages, but she has one good eye. There's no warrior that's been blind their whole life that could teach him properly… and having a blind warrior isn't a risk we could take against TigerClan."

"I know," Leafpool sighed, her voice breaking. "I just wish he didn't hate me so… I wish StarClan had chosen to punish me for my crime, rather than him."

"You can't think that!" Bramblestar breathed, shocked. "StarClan wouldn't strike a cat blind for something like that – StarClan doesn't place fault on the kits, Leafpool."

Leafpool looked at him with eyes that begged for comfort.

"Robinpaw will grow to like his duties," Bramblestar meowed. "With you as his teacher, he'll make a fabulous medicine cat."

Leafpool smiled slightly. "Thank you," she mewed.

Bramblestar sighed. Then, he asked quietly, aware that Onestar could possibly hear him inside the den, "Any news on Squirrelflight?"

Leafpool's amber eyes flashed. When Squirrelflight had been captured, Leafpool had made Bramblestar aware that she and her sister shared a connection, one that transcended borders and distance and allowed the sisters to sense one another – what they were doing, or how they were feeling.

Bramblestar had been asking this question every time he could manage, and he watched as Leafpool closed her eyes and took a deep breath, summoning forth this strange power.

When she exhaled, and her eyes opened, Bramblestar knew something was different.

"She's not alone," Leafpool told him quietly. "She's still where she was before – stuck somewhere with a great amount of TigerClan guards – but she's not alone anymore."

"Who's with her? Can you tell?" Bramblestar asked.

"Another prisoner," Leafpool meowed.

"Mistyfoot?"

Leafpool shook her head.

Bramblestar couldn't help but feel a little relieved by that. Wherever Mistyfoot was, she wasn't in TigerClan's clutches.

"It's a stranger," Leafpool told him. "Not a Clan cat, and not one of the Horseplace cats either. Someone new – someone the Clans have never seen before."

Bramblestar sighed, looking up at the stars. He wondered often if StarClan were alright up there – he hadn't seen a sign from them since he was made leader. Leafpool didn't visit the Moonpool anymore, as per Barkface's orders, and Bramblestar wasn't often privy to what Barkface saw when he went. According to Onestar, it was just the same mantra over and over: _Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red._

Leafpool had told him that much already.

_Squirrelflight, stay strong,_ Bramblestar thought. _I'll find some way to free you… for now though be strong, and take comfort in the fact that at least you're not alone anymore…_

* * *

"Well?" Silverhawk asked. "Did I hear wrong, or do you want to be a warrior?"

Robinpaw blinked at the gray tom, still stunned. Who was this cat, and how was he in Robinpaw's dream? What did he know of Robinpaw's aspirations.

"I do," Robinpaw answered, "but if you know that then you must already know that I'm blind."

Silverhawk shrugged. "That can be worked around," he meowed.

Robinpaw rolled his eyes. "Unless you can make me see in the waking world as well as I do here, I doubt there's much that can be 'worked around'," he growled skeptically.

Silverhawk frowned. "Well, I don't think I can do that," he admitted. "But… you can train here, with me, in your dreams – and when you wake up, I can be your eyes during battle. What do you think of that?"

Robinpaw was yet again stunned – Silverhawk's offer was amazing! How could he deny it?

Yet he had to be skeptical yet again. "There's another issue – I'm a medicine cat apprentice now," Robinpaw said. "Not my choice – but I won't have warrior training. I won't see battle."

"True," Silverhawk meowed slyly. "But if your mentor and the warriors in your Clan see how good of a fighter you are, they'll want you to be a warrior so badly that your leader will _have_ to make you one. All it takes is one battle, one skirmish, to prove that you can fight just as well – better, even – than the warriors in your Clan… and I'm willing to help you do it."

"Who _are_ you?" Robinpaw asked. "Are you from StarClan?"

Silverhawk shrugged. "Something like that. I'm just a warrior who had taken in interest in you and what _you_ want. More interest than your Clan's given, from what I understand."

Robinpaw's shoulders sagged. A spirit warrior – from StarClan? Well, he _had_ to be. Only StarClan cats visited others in dreams – wanted to teach him how to be a warrior! Silverhawk wanted to give Robinpaw his dream, his real destiny of fighting alongside his brother and sister, not doling out herbs and smelly poultices.

"Well?" Silverhawk asked. "I'm only making this offer once."

"I'll do it!" Robinpaw said eagerly, taking a step forward. "I'll train with you – I'll do whatever it takes!"

Silverhawk smiled. "Then I'm proud to be your mentor, Robinpaw," he meowed. "Your training begins tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Her name was Starling._

Squirrelflight was grateful to know that, at least. Starling hadn't been willing to convey any more information than her name yesterday. Squirrelflight could see her sitting in her corner of the willow log, curled up in a tight ball. She hadn't been fed yesterday, and from the whispers Squirrelflight heard around camp, she wouldn't be fed until Pouncepaw's health was confirmed.

Starling woke a few moments after Squirrelflight. The gray loner shot to her paws, yellow eyes wide and claws unsheathed. Squirrelflight's ears pricked as she spotted Starling's flanks heaving.

"Calm down!" Squirrelflight urged, raising a paw. "It's all right!"

Starling's tail lashed as she looked at Squirrelflight. The loner's fur flattened and, slowly, she got down off of her toes. Her claws sheathed.

"So it wasn't a dream," she murmured to herself.

Squirrelflight nodded. _It's a nightmare,_ she thought.

Starling sat down with a huff, and her stomach let out a groan. "Sorry," she mewed.

"It's all right," Squirrelflight meowed. "Don't worry; I was the same way the first moon I was Hawkstar's prisoner. Sad to say, but you get used to it."

"I'm starving," Starling groaned. "Do prisoners eat?"

Squirrelflight nodded. "We do, but not as often as the Clan… and from what I heard Hawkstar won't be letting you get fresh-kill until we know if Pouncepaw is OK or not."

Starling flattened her ears. "I didn't mean to hurt the young fellow; but he startled me, that's all," she stated. Her neck fur rose and she growled, "That Hawkstar is a real piece of work, isn't he?"

Squirrelflight nodded. "You have no idea," she said.

Starling sighed. She looked at Squirrelflight and then asked, "So… who are you? Squirrelflight, right?"

Squirrelflight nodded again.

"Some weird names you cats have," Starling mewed. "But… can you tell me who you are? What's going on here?"

Squirrelflight tipped her head. "It's a long story," she expressed. "And… I don't really know that much about you, either. The path that got me trapped here in the first place was littered with cats I thought I trusted, and whom I thought cared for me. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but there are only a few cats I trust and it seems like they're half a world away."

Starling blinked.

"I understand," she agreed. "I can tell you about myself, then. It's not a long story."

Squirrelflight's ears pricked, and a scuffling of paws outside the willow log told her that their guards were moving.

"One moment," she said. "This might have to wait."

As she predicted, Beechfur pushed his head into the log. He narrowed his eyes at Squirrelflight and growled, "Come on, you – mealtime. Quit your chattering and get over here so we can get this over with. You two can get all buddy-buddy later."

Starling flattened her ears and hissed out a warning – though the growling of her stomach drowned out the threat.

Beechfur's whiskers twitched with amusement. "No food yet for you, loner," he chuckled. "You should be grateful Hawkstar didn't kill you on sight."

Squirrelflight threw Starling a sympathetic look. She pushed herself to her paws and padded out after Beechfur, feeling the loner's hungry gaze on her back the whole way across camp.

* * *

When Squirrelflight came back into the den she felt instantly guilty. She had nearly lost her own share of fresh-kill by trying to save a little for Starling. Her gesture had not been well-thought-out, though, as her guard soon noticed that she wasn't eating her share properly.

She was pushed back into the den by a growling Beechfur. Squirrelflight spat back, but Beechfur ignored her as he resumed his post. Squirrelflight sighed.

"Was it good?" Starling asked.

Squirrelflight looked at her awkwardly. Should she answer?

Starling sighed, "It's all right – I was just trying to be funny."

Squirrelflight settled herself in her moss. It felt stiff – but then again, no cat changed her moss as regularly as a queen got hers changed. Even elders had to suffer with stiff joints – the thought made her snarl.

"Looks like we might be here a while," Starling commented. "Any news on that poor young cat I scratched?"

"Pouncepaw?" Squirrelflight asked. _She must still be having problems with the names. _"I don't know yet – Mothwing, this Clan's medicine cat, hasn't reported anything."

Starling looked confused, but she didn't ask what a medicine cat was. Instead, she adjusted herself on her patch of dirt.

"You wanted to know about me?" she asked.

Squirrelflight nodded.

"Well…" Starling sighed. "There's not much to tell."

She shifted again, settling herself a little more comfortably. "I was born to a housecat named Pearl. My brothers and sisters and I, we got along good… our parents taught us how to behave around housefolk and how to act."

_A kittypet?_ Squirrelflight thought. _Like Father?_

"When we were old enough," Starling went on, "we were each taken in by our new housefolk. I was taken when there was snow on the ground and pretty lights dancing in the air around housefolk homes. It was cold, but I was kept warm and safe in a secret place."

"You were taken?" Squirrelflight murmured. "That sounds awful!"

Starling shrugged. "It happens to most all housecat kittens," she mewed. "Housefolk aren't allowed to have many pets in their homes, so housefolk give the kittens to other housefolk who want them. I wasn't completely separated from my family – they were only a few doors down.

"Anyway, my new housefolk put me in a big box with little holes, and they wrapped it up with a big… um… well, it's like a really shiny vine." Starling's eyes shimmered. "Anyway, a few moments later their kit opened the box! I was just as shocked as it was, honestly. I guess I was a surprise gift for their kit."

Squirrelflight frowned. How could she speak so fondly of being nothing but an object for Twolegs to fawn over?

Starling's eyes darkened. "After that we lived together for a while. My housefolk's kit was… different than other housefolk kits I knew. It didn't like attention and it didn't seem to respond like other housefolk kits did. I tried everything I could to get close, but one day the kit pulled out three of my whiskers."

Squirrelflight's eyes went wide.

"I was so upset I nipped the poor kit," Starling mewed. "My housefolk put me out after that. Eventually I realized that their door wouldn't open for me again, so I wandered off."

"I'm sorry," Squirrelflight murmured.

"For a while I thought it was something wrong with me," Starling admitted. "I joined up with a group of other cats like me, and they taught me how to hunt and defend myself. Eventually they told me that some housefolk kits don't act like others, and that it's not really their fault _or_ your fault – it's just how they are.

"Eventually I left that group – their leader was aggressive, and I didn't like that," Starling went on. "I wandered about – saw what lay outside the dens I grew up in… I saw big woods, farms, mountains… and even where the sun touched an endless lake of water every night. I ended up here not long after… and, well, you know the rest."

"Wow," Squirrelflight mewed. "That's a lot for one cat."

"You say that, but I get the feeling that you've been through more," Starling pointed out. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

"No, no, I owe you," Squirrelflight insisted. "You deserve an explanation as to what you've landed yourself in. As long a story as it is I don't think we're being let out until later. We have time."

"Well, don't let me stop you," Starling mewed. "Go on."

Squirrelflight took a deep breath, and then started at the beginning. She told Starling of a kittypet named Rusty, and how he became Firepaw of ThunderClan. She told Starling about the four Clans and their home in the woods beyond the mountains, and how Firepaw became Fireheart and uncovered the treachery of Tigerclaw, ThunderClan's deputy. Squirrelflight went on to talk about how by the grace of StarClan ThunderClan lived through a fire and a dog attack, and Fireheart became Firestar.

She talked of BloodClan and how their threat united the Clans. She talked of how the Twolegs invaded their forest, uprooting the trees and killing the prey, causing StarClan to send a message to one cat from each Clan, and the journey they had all gone on together.

Squirrelflight talked about how the Clans united again when the group came back, and how they trekked over the mountains to get to this land around the lake. She told Starling of all the struggles that they had since they'd gotten here – and finally, she told Starling of how Hawkstar and Ashfur murdered Firestar and kidnapped her. How Hawkstar murdered the leaders of ShadowClan and RiverClan and forced them together to create TigerClan.

She finished by explaining LionClan – ThunderClan and WindClan united against TigerClan.

When she was done, she was tired and her throat felt sore. She had always been a chatty cat, but this was probably the most she had ever spoken at once.

"That's… awful," Starling whispered.

Squirrelflight, overcome by her own emotions, said nothing.

"That's _really_ awful," Starling repeated. "Is there any way…?"

"I've tried escaping," Squirrelflight mewed, "and every time I've failed. LionClan has more cats, but they're losing. And I'm stuck here, forced to listen as I hear the names of cats that I grew up with and care about being added to TigerClan's hit list."

Starling frowned.

"What do you think they'll do with me?" Starling asked.

"I don't know," Squirrelflight murmured. "You're a loner. The only other loners I know of were warned to stay far away from TigerClan affairs."

Starling was frowning.

"Thank you for telling me this," she meowed. "Things will be all right, Squirrelflight. I'm sure of it."

Squirrelflight looked up at her. There was a seriousness to Starling's gaze that Squirrelflight didn't understand. How could she be so hopeful when Squirrelflight herself was already out of hope? Perhaps TigerClan hadn't scared her yet…

"Hey!"

Squirrelflight and Starling looked up.

It was Blackclaw. He had his eyes narrowed at the cats inside the log.

"What do _you_ want, Blackclaw?" Squirrelflight spat. "We've kept our voices down!"

Blackclaw ignored her. "You. Loner," he snapped.

"Yes?" Starling asked.

"I've been sent to inform you that Pouncepaw's eye will indeed recover," Blackclaw told her with a sneer.

"That's good," Starling meowed. "I'm sorry for what I did to him – it was an accident."

"I'm not here to listen to your pitiful excuses," Blackclaw growled. "Get out here, loner – you're coming with me to see Hawkstar."

Squirrelflight shifted.

"Alone," Blackclaw snapped.

Starling sat up and then padded over to Squirrelflight. "I'll be fine," she insisted. "Don't worry about me."

Squirrelflight couldn't help but worry – her only companion was being dragged off to see Hawkstar… and cats who were dragged off to see Hawkstar did not come back.

* * *

Blackclaw was quiet when he led Starling through the camp and towards the dark tabby leader of TigerClan. Up close he was a little smaller than Starling had thought from her position beneath his warrior's paws – but he was still powerful and imposing. His ice-blue eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

"There you are," he purred.

Starling blinked at him. The evening light cast him in a reddish glow, and after Squirrelflight's story all Starling could see was the blood of those he had killed running down his pelt. The blood of the heroes of old, of Firestar and Blackstar and Leopardstar…

She blinked.

_Stay strong,_ she thought. _Don't let him bother you. Like she said; don't let them get to you._

"And there you are," Starling replied.

The blow to her cheek was not expected, nor were the claws that accompanied it.

"You don't speak to Hawkstar unless he _asks_ you to speak, you worthless loner!" spat Blackclaw with fury.

"Enough," Hawkstar growled.

Blackclaw stepped away, lip curled. Starling pushed herself up, feeling her cheek sting from his blow. _You'll pay for that someday…_ she thought. _All things come in time._

"I hear you're called Starling," Hawkstar meowed. "Fitting name."

Starling did not reply.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've brought you out here," Hawkstar meowed. He was sitting atop the fallen log, looking down on her with an arrogance that Starling wished she could claw off. "Pouncepaw was lucky – that blow you dealt him might have taken out his eye. He will be trained harder from now on to learn to watch for opponents in every bush – but this isn't about him, it's about you, Starling.

"That blow was nothing short of TigerClan quality," Hawkstar meowed. "Whomever you learned to fight from knew what they were doing."

Starling remained silent, but the way Hawkstar looked at her made her pelt crawl.

"I'd like to make an offer," Hawkstar meowed. "I want you to join TigerClan."

Starling froze. She hadn't expected that. At least, not so soon.

"Well?"

"If I say no?" Starling asked.

Hawkstar frowned. "I'm sure you understand already that there is no _no_ in TigerClan, Starling," he stated. "But I understand that this is the type of opportunity one needs to think about. You'll have a moon to decide."

"And what if my answer is still no?" Starling asked.

Hawkstar's frown deepened. "If that is still your answer by moon's end then you go free."

_A lie,_ whispered a voice in Starling's head, her voice of reason.

"Take her back," Hawkstar ordered.

As Starling was being led back to her willow prison, she thought, _All things in time, Hawkstar. You have your plans… but I have mine._


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"_Attack!"_

The order had barely left Brackenfur's lips when Lionpaw leaped. His target looked at him with shock as Lionpaw landed square on their shoulders. He wrestled them to the ground and had them pinned, planting his huge paws on their slighter body.

Lionpaw allowed his enemy to wriggled free, watching them scatter sand as they fled before he looked around. Spottedpaw was wrestling with a heavier-built tom, but Lionpaw knew better than to leap to his sister's defense immediately. Spottedpaw was good at surprising her opponent with her speed and quick-thinking. He left her to it.

_There!_

Heatherpaw was tussling with a bigger tortoiseshell she-cat. The tortoiseshell was bigger and older, with more power behind her paws. Heatherpaw was dodging and weaving, but she could barely manage to sneak in a strike.

Lionpaw let out a battle cry and charged the tortoiseshell, slamming her to the ground and hearing a satisfied _oof_ as he knocked the breath out of her. Heatherpaw looked at Lionpaw, stunned, and then shook her head of it. She pressed the attack with Lionpaw and, together, they pushed the tortoiseshell back until she fled into the bushes.

"Who's next?" Heatherpaw asked.

Lionpaw looked around. Cats were rolling and tussling with one another, scattering sand as they wrestled. Through the dust Lionpaw spotted Breezepaw – his half-brother was being pinned by a dark gray she-cat.

"There!" he called.

Lionpaw and Heatherpaw bounded to Breezepaw's side, dodging two skinny cats as they wrestled nearby. Heatherpaw pushed herself between Breezepaw and his opponent, while Lionpaw leaped onto the dark gray tabby she-cat and flung her to the ground. He reared up onto his hind legs, swiping his big paws in the air.

The gray tabby spat and then fled.

"You all right?" Heatherpaw asked, as she helped Breezepaw up.

"I've been better," Breezepaw grumbled. "I could have handled it on my own, though."

"Hey, _thanks_ isn't too hard a thing to say," Lionpaw retorted. "You'd be grateful if she were skinning your hide!"

Breezepaw rolled his eyes – but Lionpaw could tell that what he'd said was taken in good humor. Breezepaw could be as grumpy as their father Crowfeather, but he was never utterly angry at his half-siblings.

"How's Spottedpaw?" the skinny black tom asked.

Lionpaw looked over to where he had seen their sister tussling with the bigger cat. She had them pinned and was looking proudly at Brackenfur.

Brackenfur stepped into the sandy hollow and yowled over the din, "Enough!" Beside him stood Ashfoot, who looked upon the scene with pride.

The apprentices – all of them – stilled. The dust settled, and those apprentices who had been defeated stepped out of the bushes. Poppypaw and Cinderpaw stood together, looking defeated. Berrypaw pushed his way out from beneath Spottedpaw, grumbling about the fight not being fair. Honeypaw and Mousepaw broke away from one another, while Harepaw and Hazelpaw stepped away as well.

"You all did very well in his mock-battle session," Brackenfur announced. "Your skills are growing better each day."

Lionpaw beamed. He might not be as clever as Spottedpaw, but after three days of nothing but battle training Lionpaw was already finding his niche in taking down his opponents with his brute strength. He was almost as big as Berrypaw, the eldest warrior apprentice – and almost as good, too.

"But," Ashfoot meowed curtly, "know that this is a _mock_ battle. A real battle with TigerClan cats will be a lot harder and much faster. Working together will be not only helpful, but _key_ in defeating your opponents. Lionpaw and Heatherpaw – you two had good form in this regard."

Lionpaw's fur fluffed as Heatherpaw stood beside him. They both bowed their heads at Ashfoot's praise.

Brackenfur glanced at Berrypaw. "As I'm sure you've learned, underestimating your opponent simply because they're smaller than you can be a costly mistake," he said.

Berrypaw grumbled to himself, glancing at Spottedpaw. A chuckle ran through the crowd.

"The rest of you did well," Brackenfur went on. "Losing is not something to be shameful of – walking away from a battle allows you to focus on what you can do differently next time."

"That's enough for today," Ashfoot decided. "Poppypaw, Cinderpaw, Breezepaw – go back to camp and get your mentors and meet me outside camp. We're going on a patrol near the old Twoleg nest."

The three apprentices nodded, and Lionpaw looked on enviously. When would it be his time to go explore the territory?

"The rest of you may go and see your mentors for your day's tasks," Ashfoot went on. "We'll meet back here tomorrow and do another mock battle scenario. Dismissed!"

Poppypaw, Cinderpaw, and Breezepaw dipped their heads and padded away first, loping through the woods with confident strides. The other apprentices milled about and muttered before padding back towards camp. Spottedpaw and Lionpaw remained with Brackenfur in the sandy hollow when Ashfoot followed the apprentices back.

"What will we do?" Lionpaw asked.

Brackenfur flicked his ear. "Spiderleg and Crowfeather wanted the hollow today for some battle practice for Mousepaw and Heatherpaw," he said. "You two will be taking care of duties around the camp with Honeypaw."

Lionpaw let out a groan of despair.

"Lionpaw!" Spottedpaw hissed.

"Something wrong, Lionpaw?" Brackenfur asked.

"I want to go out on patrol!" Lionpaw complained. "I want to hunt!"

Brackenfur flicked his tail. "You two are excellent fighters and you've picked up every move we've taught you and preformed with aplomb – but Sorreltail and I will decide when you go on patrol. Every cat has to do their part, and today you will help Honeypaw take care of things around camp."

Lionpaw flattened his ears. "Yes, Brackenfur…" he sighed.

"It's for your safety," Brackenfur assured him. "Now head back."

* * *

Lionpaw and Spottedpaw finished up their duties just as the sun began to set. Without Honeypaw, Lionpaw was sure that it would have taken them till moonhigh. Together they had changed out what Lionpaw figured to be every scrap of moss from the stone hollow, and remade nearly every nest.

He flopped down with exhaustion before the apprentice's den. Spottedpaw was exhausted, too, but she laid herself down more gracefully.

Honeypaw sighed, looking at them both. "You two are rookies," she purred. "You'll get used to it – all the apprentices have to do it. I'll grab you some supper."

Lionpaw watched gratefully as the golden-brown she-cat padded towards the fresh-kill pile. He sighed, "Well that's nice of her."

Spottedpaw nodded. She was washing her chest fur thoughtfully, her ears pricked to listen to the sounds around camp. She lifted her head and mewed, "Robinpaw!"

Lionpaw looked about. Robinpaw was just padding out of the medicine cat's den, his face looking grumpy and aggravated. He was carrying a load of what looked like soiled moss, and he disappeared into the dirtplace. They had hardly seen him for three days, and news of Owlwhisker's infected wound had spread around camp like wildfire.

"We should go talk to him," Spottedpaw meowed. "We haven't seen much of him since we were apprenticed."

"What about Honeypaw?" Lionpaw asked.

"If she sees us talking to our brother, can she really be upset?" Spottedpaw mewed. "Besides, it's only for a moment. I'm sure he's busy."

"I suppose," Lionpaw agreed.

The two lifted themselves up and, despite their sore muscles, managed to catch Robinpaw just as he padded out of the dirtplace tunnel.

"What?" he growled.

Lionpaw frowned. He'd never sounded so angry.

"We just wanted to know how you were doing," Spottedpaw asked soothingly. "How's Owlwhisker?"

"No better," Robinpaw grumbled. "He's a goner, for sure."

Lionpaw glanced at Spottedpaw, worry piercing his heart. Surely Robinpaw didn't believe that?

"You can't think that," Spottedpaw breathed.

"Yes, I can," Robinpaw growled back. "Now get out of my way."

"What is _wrong_ with you, lately?" Lionpaw demanded. "Since we've been made apprentices you've done nothing but ignore us! Every time we see you, you look like you've gotten thorns in all your paws. You're rude, angry, and bitter! What's wrong with you, and why won't you talk to us?"

Robinpaw's neck fur bristled. His pale blue, blind eyes focused on Lionpaw.

"You want to know _why_ I'm angry? Why I'm bitter?" he seethed. "I was _forced_ into being a medicine cat apprentice. I had no choice! I'm stuck here babysitting the whiney, hurt, and dying cats of this Clan while you and Spottedpaw go out and fight to protect us all."

"That's not our fault," Lionpaw pointed out.

"Yes – it is," Robinpaw growled. The fury in his voice was frightening. "You could have said something – anything. You could have fought for my rights to be a warrior. But no – you didn't. You sat there and said nothing."

"We most certainly _did_ say something!" Spottedpaw spat.

"Oh?" Robinpaw's face mocked a shocked look. "You _did?_ So when can I leave this wretched prison of mine and join you two in the apprentice's den?"

Lionpaw and Spottedpaw said nothing, staring shockedly at their brother.

"I thought as much," Robinpaw spat. "Now get out of my way."

He didn't wait for them to move – he shouldered past them roughly, pushing Spottedpaw and Lionpaw away. They watched him go, moving with his body in an aggressive gait, to the medicine cat's den. Harepaw passed his way and meowed something, but Robinpaw spat back at him – what he said caused Harepaw to stand stock-still, his eyes wide.

Lionpaw looked at Spottedpaw. Her eyes were massive, glimmering, pools of sadness. Lionpaw himself felt like he had a tough piece of fresh-kill caught in his throat.

What had happened to their brother?

* * *

"Bramblestar!"

Bramblestar looked up. His one moment of peace came when night was falling and the warriors were beginning to fall asleep. He was just beginning to head up to his den in the Highledge – it was a warm night, so Onestar was going to curl up with Whitetail down below. Other cats who were more comfortable sleeping outside were also bedding down.

"Yes, Berrypaw?" Bramblestar asked.

The cream tom was just below, looking up at him with his usual determined face.

"Will we be able to train tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't know," Bramblestar meowed.

Berrypaw narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I'm leader," Bramblestar sighed. "I've been neglecting you, I know, but I'm leading a Clan too now."

Berrypaw stomped his paw on the rocky steps. "Spottedpaw beat me today," he growled. _"Spottedpaw_ – she's only been an apprentice for three days!"

Bramblestar looked down at his apprentice, blinking. Spottedpaw beat him? He knew that he had been neglecting Berrypaw's training lately, but Spottedpaw was no warrior.

"I'm nearly a warrior myself," Berrypaw reasoned, "and I get that you're busy… but I need training."

Bramblestar nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do about getting some training done tomorrow," he decided. _Maybe training Berrypaw is what I need to get my mind on track._ "And if it goes well, you and your siblings will be warriors by moon's end. How does that sound?"

Berrypaw's eyes went wide. "That's… that's amazing!" he breathed. "Thanks, Bramblestar! Are you sure we're ready?"

"If TigerClan didn't exist, I would say no," Bramblestar told him. "But since TigerClan has come to be, the training's gotten tougher and harder – and you and your siblings were part of that. You've mastered difficult moves and battled TigerClan apprentices. You three deserve warriorhood."

Berrypaw's eyes shone. He purred so loud that Bramblestar could hear it up the rocks before bounding away towards the apprentice's den.

Bramblestar watched him go. He was excited to tell Berrypaw about his impending ceremony, but worry still tugged at his heart.

_Someday TigerClan will kill my warriors,_ he thought. _Someday, they might kill him. Am I just sending all of these cats to their deaths?_


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Robinpaw reached up with his paws,_ stretching as high as he could. His paws were just barely missing the mark – an ugly vine hanging from an uglier tree.

"Stretch!" Silverhawk hissed. Robinpaw caught the gleam of the silver-and-white tabby's eyes in the shadows of the tree branches. He had cut loose the vine and was waiting for Robinpaw to touch it.

"I am!" Robinpaw growled back.

"Not well enough, apparently," Silverhawk growled. "If you want it, you have to take it, Robinpaw – it won't leap into your paws!"

Robinpaw curled his lip. Three nights of training with Silverhawk and already he was beginning to feel more like a warrior even though Silverhawk had yet to teach him a single fighting move. He felt as if he were learning more here in his dreams than he was while awake – he couldn't stand being forced to stuff herbs up his nsoe until her memorized their gross, stinky scents!

He gave a little hop and managed to snag a claw into the vine. He was unable to hold on, though, and he fell to all fours.

"Good enough I suppose," Silverhawk sighed.

His nightly mentor slipped out from the shadows of the leaves and leaped down the tree with ease. His muscles rippled as he landed on the dusky forest floor, and he lashed his tail from side to side.

"I'm too short," Robinpaw complained. "I had to jump to reach it."

"Soon you won't have to," Silverhawk told him.

"So what's my next lesson?" Robinpaw demanded. He stood up and began pacing, his limbs supercharged with energy. He wanted something to _hit_, for StarClan's sake!

Silverhawk smirked. "In due time, Robinpaw. For now, why don't you tell me what happened today?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I want you focused," Silverhawk told him. "Utterly, completely focused. Something is bothering you. What is it?"

Robinpaw stopped pacing. He frowned – should he tell Silverhawk about his spat with Lionpaw and Spottedpaw? Did he already know? Was it affecting Robinpaw that much?

"Tell me," Silverhawk growled.

Robinpaw flicked his ear. "I yelled at Lionpaw and Spottedpaw," he told Silverhawk. "They came up to me, asking what was going on all happy and smug and I just… I couldn't take it anymore."

"What did you do?"

"I told them exactly what I thought of them," Robinpaw stated. "I told them about how they ought to have fought for my right to be a warrior. How they did nothing while I was forced into being a medicine cat apprentice."

Silverhawk curled his lips. "Weaklings, the lot of them," he agreed. "They're your kin! They should have fought to their last breath to make sure you became a warrior."

"I know!" Robinpaw agreed, exasperated. "But they just stood there while Onestar and Bramblestar decided my fate for me. They don't care about me – not really. They never did! Just like Mother and Father. They never had to pay for Mother's and Father's mistake!"

Silverhawk tipped his head.

"It was _Ferncloud_ who cared for us," Robinpaw insisted. "Crowfeather was too busy being… being a fox-heart! We never saw him. Leafpool had her _medicine cat_ duties, too! I thought my brother and sister were my _real_ family…"

"They betrayed you," Silverhawk murmured. "It will be the greatest mistake they will make."

"I know," Robinpaw agreed. "I'll be the best warrior – they'll see. I'll beat TigerClan all on my own, without them."

Silverhawk was purring. "Good, good," he mewed. "Keep that attitude up and we'll move on to the real meat of your training soon enough."

"I hope so," Robinpaw sighed. He sat on his haunches. "Leafpool's training is _boring_ and I hate it."

"Oh?" Silverhawk wondered. "What does she have you doing? Sniffing leaves?"

"That, and we're going out to the old Twoleg nest in the morning," Robinpaw confessed. "It's nice because I'll be out of the camp – but it's terrible because all I'll be doing is sniffing more leaves."

Silverhawk's eyes flashed.

"Old Twoleg nest?" he wondered. "Why go there? Sounds like a hazard."

"Twolegs don't live there anymore," Robinpaw assured him. _Even if they did, they'd be no match for me._ "Barkface and Leafpool have been growing herbs there since LionClan was formed. There's a lot of essential plants growing there – the stuff that sees us through leaf-bare and helps during newleaf and all the battles. Catmint, goldenrod… our whole supply of rare plants grow there, pretty much."

"And you're going there tomorrow to…?"

"Collect some for the store," Robinpaw answered, bored. He rolled his eyes. "Bring some fresh herbs back for Owlwhisker's festering wound… if he isn't in StarClan when we wake up, that is."

"Interesting," Silverhawk mewed. He sat up and stated, "I know that you hate your duties as a medicine cat apprentice, Robinpaw, but it is helpful to know some herbs and their uses – just in case. If you're ever hurt and on your own, knowing what is good and bad to put on your wounds is useful."

Robinpaw rolled his eyes. "Don't try and make me like it," he grumbled.

"I'm not," Silverhawk mewed, "just offering a new perspective."

The warrior shook out his fur. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Robinpaw," he decided. "We'll start working on your claw-work then. Come to me focused and ready."

* * *

"Robinpaw? Robinpaw, it's dawn – time to get moving."

It was Kestrelpaw's voice that woke Robinpaw from his dream. He opened his eyes to blackness once more and sighed. Couldn't he have stayed with Silverhawk – and his sight – for just a few moments more?

He smelled Kestrelpaw right before him – the heathery peat-smell that accompanied WindClan cats was still underneath the now-combined musk of LionClan. Robinpaw's whiskers sensed Kestrelpaw's paw just a few inches from his shoulder.

Awkwardly, Kestrelpaw moved his paw back down.

"Leafpool is waiting for us outside of camp," Kestrelpaw meowed.

Robinpaw pushed himself up and stretched, trying to hide the ache in his muscles. "And Barkface?" he asked.

"He's staying here with Owlwhisker," Kestrelpaw explained.

Robinpaw gave his chest fur a few tidying licks. He could feel the clumps fluffing out of place, even if he couldn't see them.

The smell of Owlwhisker's wound had seeped into all corners of the medicine cat's den, making Robinpaw feel ill whenever he was inside for too long. He was grateful his and Kestrelpaw's nests were tucked away in a safe, lichen-sheltered corner. The smell was getting a little less… gross – but that didn't change the fact that Robinpaw could almost feel the shadow of death hanging over the young warrior.

"Food?" Robinpaw asked. He hadn't eaten the night before – his argument with Spottedpaw and Lionpaw had put him in a terrible mood. His stomach was roaring for something to eat.

"Leafpool says we'll get some when we get to the Twoleg nest," Kestrelpaw meowed. "She says there's plenty of mice hanging about there, so it's an easy meal."

Kestrelpaw shifted. "Ready?" he asked.

Robinpaw sighed and nodded. When Kestrelpaw got up to leave, Robinpaw followed resignedly. He could be a warrior in his dreams – but his reality was far, far more unsatisfying.

* * *

Grass crunched beneath Robinpaw's paws. He was already tired of the sound – they had taken twice as long getting to the old Twoleg nest thanks to Leafpool stopping at every herb bush and berry sprig to point them out to Robinpaw. Robinpaw was sure he could find every juniper bush or horsetail stalk this side of ThunderClan territory when she was done.

"The nest is tall," Kestrelpaw was offering, his fur gentle against Robinpaw's side. The other apprentice was guiding Robinpaw, making sure that he didn't step on anything or bump into something. Kestrelpaw was constantly chattering about the surroundings, and Robinpaw wished he'd shut up.

"It's not as tall as the walls of the hollow, but it's about two Twolegs high," Kestrelpaw went on. "It's messed up in some places, and there's grass and little trees growing up between the cut-wood. There's all kinds of mice running and scurrying in there."

Robinpaw's stomach growled at the thought of a plump mouse.

Kestrelpaw seemed to ignore him. "Just behind the nest are walls made of stones stacked up on top of on another. It's packed together with really hard mud-like stuff. There's a place around on this side where the rocks tumble down, and we can get in. In that area is where the plants are."

Robinpaw opened his jaws. He could smell the tangy, bitter smells of the herbs wafting over the stones that Kestrelpaw described. There was also a sweet, sweet smell that made Robinpaw's mouth water.

Leafpool's voice came from behind the wall. "The catmint is still good!" she called. "It survived the frost."

"That's wonderful!" purred Kestrelpaw.

"I'll be collecting some now," Leafpool decided. Robinpaw heard her voice more clearly – she must be positioned either on the other side of the stones or on top of the tumble that Kestrelpaw talked of. "Robinpaw, follow my voice – you'll be helping me."

Robinpaw frowned. _Oh, joy,_ he thought.

"Kestrelpaw, you go around and look for some mice," Leafpool commanded. "This will be hungry work!"

Robinpaw felt Kestrelpaw leave, and Robinpaw was left alone in the woods with only scents and sounds and feelings to guide him. He heard Kestrelpaw pad towards the old Twoleg nest, and when he entered his pawsteps sounded strange.

"Follow the sound of my voice," Leafpool meowed. "I know you know where I am."

Robinpaw sighed and followed his ears. She was higher up, but he knew there were stones – he didn't want to stub his paws. He moved carefully towards her voice, shuffling his paws gently against the ground. When he hit the stones he breathed a sigh.

"Up you go now," Leafpool called. "Come on."

His mother patted her paws against the stones. Robinpaw was still – his ears were twitching at the sound, his paws trembling with the vibrations. With her patting her paws, Robinpaw was able to tell where the slope was steepest when he began climbing, and where it was safest. He followed that and his mother's scent to the top.

Leafpool said nothing, but she purred in approval.

Robinpaw heard her paws leave the stones, and heard her land on the ground.

"It's not too far," she assured him. "I'll be here to make sure you're all right."

Robinpaw sighed. He didn't need her babysitting him all the time! But he followed the sound of her voice, and when he jumped he landed only a little awkwardly. He got up awkwardly and shook himself out. He was a _warrior_ – warriors didn't fumble! Silverhawk would have had his tail for a plaything if he'd seen that landing.

"Here's the catmint," Leafpool offered.

Robinpaw followed her voice to the edge of the garden. The smells of the herbs were intoxicating, and he did his best not to crush any underpaw as he walked. Leafpool offered him a sprig of catmint to sniff, and Robinpaw felt the fuzziness on his nose.

"This is probably the most vital herb in this garden," Leafpool meowed. "I'm so, _so_ glad Barkface helped me with this idea. Thanks to this garden we've had enough herbs to take care of all our wounded… and enough catmint to keep any strain of greencough at bay."

Robinpaw pulled away from the tempting leaves before he had the urge to snap them up for himself. He smelled around the garden, distinguishing the herb-scents. Most he knew, most he didn't; but they all smelled healthy and fresh.

"I'll be collecting some of this," Leafpool meowed. To Robinpaw she ordered, "Go get some of that marigold over there. I'm sure you can smell it."

_How could I not?_ Robinpaw thought. _You practically shoved that one right up my nose!_

Robinpaw turned towards the marigold-smell and headed for the plant. He was buried belly-deep soon enough, with leaves and flowers catching in his pelt. He found the marigold and began using his paws to feel for the leaves and petals which were of so much help.

"I know you don't like it," Leafpool meowed from across the garden, "but picking herbs has always been something that I thought was relaxing."

Robinpaw frowned.

"Just me and the leaves," Leafpool went on. "No disruptions, no distractions… If you push it all away, you can really think of a lot while picking herbs."

_Did you think about how you were betraying your Clan?_ Robinpaw wondered bitterly. _Did you think about how you were forcing your own kit to be your apprentice?_

Leafpool was silent for a moment. Robinpaw was glad – he focused on picking the herbs, doing his best not to let his anger at his mother destroy the fragile plants.

"I'm sorry."

Robinpaw looked up from his herbs.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Leafpool repeated. "I'm sorry I did this to you – I'm sorry you're a medicine cat apprentice."

Robinpaw frowned. "No, you're not," he growled.

"Robinpaw," Leafpool breathed, "I didn't want this for you – I didn't want you to have to pay for my mistake… but you were the only one who -"

"Who _what?"_ Robinpaw demanded.

"Robinpaw, you're _blind,"_ Leafpool meowed. "There's _no way_ you could be a warrior. If times were different, maybe – but right now, with TigerClan breathing down our necks? You'd -"

"I'd what?" Robinpaw spat. "Fail? Die?"

"Well, I…"

"You want to know something?" Robinpaw snarled. He could feel the rage building in his pelt. "I'd rather _die_ than be a useless, stupid, _medicine cat!_ I'd rather _die_ than have to be trained by _you!"_

He heard Leafpool make a choking sound.

"Robinpaw…" she breathed. "I… I have only ever tried doing what was best…"

"If you'd done what was best, I wouldn't be here at all!" Robinpaw snapped.

Leafpool's paws shifted on the ground.

"There's nothing I can do," Leafpool told him. "Once this war is over I won't be a medicine cat anymore. ThunderClan won't have a medicine cat without you! You don't have to like me – but don't let the Clan suffer!"

Robinpaw curled his lip and turned away from her.

Kestrelpaw's scent wafted over the stone wall, and the smell of mouse accompanied him. Robinpaw heard his pawsteps on the tumble of stones as the apprentice climbed them to look down at the garden.

"Did… did I miss anything?" he wondered.

"No," Robinpaw growled.

Kestrelpaw was silent for a moment. Then, he said awkwardly, "I… I caught the mice…"

"That's nice, Kestrelpaw," Leafpool meowed, her voice broken and tired. "We'll take a break to eat and then continue collecting."

Robinpaw said nothing as Leafpool passed him. Her pawsteps were tense. Robinpaw didn't care – he was angry, he was bitter, and these feelings…

He didn't want them to go away.


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"_Another day in captivity," Squirrelflight sighed._

Starling nodded in agreement. It had been several days already since she had been taken captive, and the only saving grace was having Squirrelflight for company. Starling had no idea how Squirrelflight had gone on for so long on her own.

_Another day of Hawkstar driving me mad,_ Starling thought to herself.

Ever since Hawkstar had made the "offer" for Starling to join TigerClan, he had been relentlessly trying to get her to say yes. Hawkstar was doing everything from offering her a bigger share of fresh-kill than Squirrelflight got (which Starling denied) to even letting Starling roam the camp on her own, without guards. It was awful.

"What do you think he'll do today?" Squirrelflight wondered. The ginger she-cat was washing her chest fur. "Catch you an eagle?"

Starling curled her lip. "I _hope_ not," Starling growled. "If he does, I hope it claws his eye out."

Squirrelflight purred.

"You know," she mewed, "it's funny."

"What?" Starling asked.

"Just… oh, it's nothing."

Starling narrowed her eyes. "Obviously it's _something."_

"OK, fine," Squirrelflight sighed. "Don't claw me for this, but I think Hawkstar has a thing for you."

Starling looked at Squirrelflight, quite sure that she had suddenly gone mad. Maybe she was wrong – eight moons of solitude _must_ have warped her mind somehow.

"Are you kidding me?" Starling hissed. "You think that classist, arrogant, sociopathic, ball of fluff has a thing for _me?"_

Squirrelflight shrugged. She mewed, "I know it sounds crazy, but think about it! I've been around Hawkstar for moons and I've never seen him go after another cat like he's going after you."

"I'm a _loner,"_ Starling insisted.

"I'm sure that's a factor," Squirrelflight agreed, "but in all reality Hawkstar's on such a power trip I don't think he cares _what_ you are. He's just being mad that you aren't cooperating with him. He thinks TigerClan is this awesome, amazing thing – and the thought that someone doesn't want to be part of it must just be _baffling_ him."

Starling frowned. "I'm not sure how I feel about him having a _thing_ for me… but if I'm flustering him I'm going to enjoy every moment of it."

"Don't fluster him _too_ much, though," Squirrelflight meowed, her eyes turning dark. "Or there might be some… bad consequences."

Starling's neck fur ruffled. "I'm not going to sit by and let him think he can manipulate me into liking him," she meowed. "I don't care what he does to me."

"You might care if he tries to kill you," Squirrelflight pointed out somberly. In a whisper, she murmured, "Or your father."

Starling tipped her head questioningly.

Squirrelflight sighed. "Ashfur and I were close before all this happened," she explained. "Ashfur thought we were closer than we really were – he loved me; at least, he claimed he did. I didn't love him back, though. He was a good friend, and that's all I thought it would be. I was fighting with Bramblestar and I needed a friend."

"He took the rejection hard, then," Starling decided.

Squirrelflight nodded. She dug her claws into the soft earth and growled, "He plotted with Hawkstar to have my father lured out and _murdered_ – all because I didn't like him the way he liked me! Can you believe that?"

"I can't believe that," Starling growled. "How could a tom – or any cat – treat some other cat as if they're property? That's absurd!"

"I thought he was my friend," Squirrelflight sighed. "That, even if he didn't like me for rejecting him he would get over it. But he didn't, and now my father is dead and Ashfur is Hawkstar's right-hand warrior."

"There's no soul in his eyes," Starling meowed. "No emotion."

"Hawkstar has a hold over him that's… well, it's just plain unnatural!" Squirrelflight insisted. "He's killed cats left and right and not even ruffled his fur."

_He's one to watch out for, then,_ Starling decided. _A remorseless killer…_

"Anyway, I'm sure they'll be calling for us soon," Squirrelflight sighed. "The routine doesn't change much, I'm afraid…"

As if her words had summoned him, Voletooth poked his head inside the willow log.

"Out you come, loner," he called. "Now."

"Just me?" Starling asked.

"You're the only loner in there," Voletooth snapped. "Now out with you – Hawkstar wants to see you."

Starling sighed.

"Good luck," Squirrelflight offered.

* * *

"Leave us," Hawkstar ordered.

Voletooth murmured a respectful good-bye before turning away. Starling turned back to Hawkstar.

"Ah!" Hawkstar purred. "There you are."

Starling was smart enough not to say anything in reply. Blackclaw was sitting just beside Hawkstar – the two of them were sharing a meal of fat fish. Starling curled her lip at their sharp-smelling breath.

"I have a task for you," Hawkstar went on.

Starling blinked. She had to say something this time. "I'm not a member of your Clan, Hawkstar," she pointed out. "I'm a prisoner - I shouldn't be doing tasks for you."

Surprisingly, Hawkstar didn't reprimand her.

"This isn't anything like a patrol or hunting," Hawkstar meowed. "Just a meaningless task. All my warriors and apprentices are busy, including Mothwing's apprentice, Willowshine. I need you to go with Mothwing to collect some of her herbs."

Starling frowned. The same thoughts that were running through her mind seemed to be running through Blackclaw's, too.

"You'd trust a _loner_ to guard your kin?" the smoky warrior asked, disbelief in his eyes.

Hawkstar yawned boredly. "Mothwing was a warrior before she was a medicine cat," he reminded the deputy. "I think she can handle herself with Starling. And anyway, it's just for herb collection – nothing terrible. I just don't want her to go alone."

Blackclaw frowned, but he didn't dare question his almighty leader.

Starling was still skeptical. "I could just run off, you know," she meowed.

"You know better than that," Hawkstar purred. His ice-blue eyes gleamed. "There is no fleeing TigerClan."

Starling flattened her ears. She remembered Ashfur's soulless stare. _He'll be having me watched every step of the way, no doubt._

"Fine," she decided. "I'll go. Where is this… Mothwing?"

"Blackclaw," Hawkstar mewed, "take her to Mothwing and see them on their way. And fetch Russetfur, will you? We have things to discuss."

Starling tipped her head.

"Nothing you ought to be worried about, loner," Hawkstar chuckled. "Things are just going to get a little more exciting around here."


	12. Chapter 10

**I'm glad people are liking this story so much! I'm actually going to do a chapter or two in Hawkstar's perspective, but most of what you see going on in TigerClan will be from Starling's or Squirrelflight's perspectives.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"_Keep at it, Berrypaw!" Bramblestar called._ "Don't let my size intimidate you!"

Berrypaw swiped at Bramblestar's muzzle. The bigger tabby tom dodged out of the way. He leaped, crossing the training hollow in a bound to put some distance between himself and Berrypaw. He was panting – tired; but he hadn't felt this exhilarated since… since forever!

_Training him yesterday and today is really getting my blood pumping!_ Bramblestar thought, looking at his cream-furred apprentice. _I think it's working for him, too._

Berrypaw was pacing, scattering sand. His amber eyes glowered down the hollow at Bramblestar.

"Too tired to face me, you old mouse-fart?" Berrypaw taunted.

"Not yet!" Bramblestar called back in reply.

The two paced around one another, eyes locked and fur bristling. Berrypaw looked like a truly formidable warrior – nearly Bramblestar's size, with burning eyes and a strong, muscular body. Scars covered his shoulders and hackles, from a particularly angry TigerClan apprentice. Possibly the only thing about him that wasn't intimidating was his stump of a tail – it was a puff now, like a rabbit's fluffy rear.

_He looks this way because apprentice training has never been so intense,_ Bramblestar thought. He was ashamed and alarmed to see how hostile Berrypaw was towards him, pretending that he was a TigerClan warrior. They were both only moments away from unsheathing their claws.

_Is that it?_ Bramblestar wondered. _Is unsheathing our claws during training the thing that separates LionClan from TigerClan? No – that is one rule I won't see fall. Claws are for opponents, not Clanmates. I will not be Tigerstar._

Bramblestar was knocked off of his paws before he could think on the matter any further. He was caught off guard so badly that in a few moments, even though he wrestled his best against him, Berrypaw had pinned him against the sand with a paw planted on his throat.

"You were off in wonderland for so long, you were just _begging_ for a surprise attack," the apprentice crowed. "What kind of leader lets himself get distracted?"

Bramblestar bristled in embarrassment. "Your 'advantage' won't last long!" he insisted.

He pushed Berrypaw off of him with one swipe of a massive paw. Bramblestar got to his paws and leaped onto the apprentice. Berrypaw darted beneath him, though, and slapped him on the hindquarters. Bramblestar jerked forward with the blow – but he spun on one paw, recovered, and leaped back into the fray.

Berrypaw fought like a warrior, each blow heavy and hard – with claws behind each attack Bramblestar could easily imagine a TigerClan warrior being sent screeching.

Bramblestar and Berrypaw sparred for what seemed like ages – until the sun was beginning to dip away, down towards the horizon. Sunhigh had come and gone, and the two were beginning to tire. Bramblestar finally called it quits when Berrypaw delivered a sharp blow to his shoulder.

"You fight like a warrior," Bramblestar panted, proudly.

Berrypaw raised his head and boasted, "Spottedpaw won't be able to lay a paw on me now!"

"Your next group session is tomorrow," Bramblestar told him. "I want you to hunt for the rest of the day. Tell Hazelpaw and Mousepaw that you three will be assessed at the half-moon… so you three had better sharpen your skills!"

"Can they come with me?" Berrypaw wondered, tipping his head.

Bramblestar nodded, "If Spiderleg and Dustpaw say they can."

"I'll go and -" Berrypaw cut himself off. He lifted his nose and sniffed. "Leafpool's coming," he meowed.

Bramblestar breathed in the scent. It _was_ Leafpool… and there was the unmistakable tang of fear in her scent. Bramblestar's neck fur bristled as Leafpool padded into the sandy hollow, eyes wide and flanks heaving. Her fur was bristling with sticks and leaves.

"Leafpool? What's the matter?" Bramblestar demanded.

Berrypaw wrinkled his nose. "And _why_ do you smell like TigerClan?" he asked.

_TigerClan?_ Bramblestar sniffed near Leafpool again. Yes – TigerClan scent was there. Faint, but there.

Leafpool looked up at Bramblestar. She finally seemed to catch her breath. When she spoke, the worry in her tone was undeniable.

"I went to collect more herbs from the Twoleg nest for Owlwhisker," Leafpool meowed. Her amber eyes were anguished. "When I got there… it… Oh, Bramblestar – all our hard work!"

"What?" Bramblestar demanded.

"It… The nest… it's been ransacked," Leafpool burst, defeat in her voice. "Utterly trashed! Every herb has been pulled up and torn apart. There's nothing left there but dirt clods and useless stalks! TigerClan scent was caked into the very earth… Oh Bramblestar, they've ruined it _all…"_

Bramblestar looked at her in horror. He whispered, "No…"

Leafpool blinked. Her tone was severe – "It gets worse."

* * *

"Not only have they invaded our territory and destroyed our biggest herb supply, they've gone and _marked it as their own!"_ Onestar spat. "This is an outrage that _cannot_ be ignored!"

Robinpaw winced. Did he have to be so _loud?_

The cave in the Highledge was cool and damp despite the crowd inside. Onestar, Bramblestar, Ashfoot, Brackenfur, Barkface, Leafpool, Kestrelpaw, and Robinpaw himself were inside, cramped together in the shadows. Cloudtail and Tornear, senior warriors from each of the Clans that made up LionClan, were sitting just outside, on the Highledge itself, listening in on the meeting and making sure that no cats disturbed them.

Of all the heartbeats pounding through the stone floor, Robinpaw figured that Bramblestar's was the most erratic. Why, though, Robinpaw had no idea. Onestar's heart was beating from pure rage and anger, while the others were trying their best to keep themselves calm.

"I agree," Ashfoot meowed. "We have to strike fast and take our territory back before they can begin to settle in – that Twoleg nest would make an excellent outpost for one of their attack groups. We'd be nothing but sitting ducks!"

"Well?" Onestar demanded. "Bramblestar – say _something!"_

Bramblestar shifted on his paws. "I think you're saying enough for the both of us," he replied. Robinpaw could feel his heartbeat – it was no less erratic. He was worried about something. "Onestar, I agree that we need to get that territory back as soon as possible, but there's something else that's been on my mind since Leafpool told me what she'd discovered."

"And that is?" Ashfoot queried.

"How they knew about it in the first place," Bramblestar replied. "We haven't scented TigerClan patrols near that area at any point before this, which leads me to think that while they could have known about the nest they might not have known about the herbs there. Barkface and Leafpool certainly told no other cat when they started planting there, right?"

"Of course!" Barkface sputtered.

Leafpool didn't speak, but her heartbeat was just as steady as Barkface's. They weren't lying.

"So you think someone told?" Brackenfur mewed. "That… that one of LionClan is a _traitor?"_

"I wouldn't throw that word around so lightly," Bramblestar warned, "but it is a possibility that we need to consider. Ashfur is gone, but he may have had accomplices."

The cave fell quiet.

Robinpaw could hear the tension in the air, could feel it with every heartbeat that passed through his paws. The sudden realization that there could possibly be a traitor amongst them was quite possibly more frightening than a TigerClan attack.

_If there was a traitor, who could it possibly be?_ Robinpaw wondered. There wasn't one LionClan cat that he could think of who would reveal such important information – the Twoleg nest and its supplies certainly weren't something talked about in idle conversation around the camp! Not every warrior knew that there were herbs there.

"I don't think we can worry about a traitor now," Leafpool meowed, breaking the silence. "As much as it is a possibility, we need to worry about getting that territory back before TigerClan thinks it can take more."

"They already think they can take what they want as it is!" Ashfoot huffed. "But she's right – we need a battle patrol there as soon as possible."

"I can lead -" Bramblestar began.

Onestar cut him off with a loud lash of his tail and growl, _"I_ will lead this patrol."

"Onestar!" Barkface grunted.

Robinpaw tipped his head.

"For one," Onestar went on, "I have more experience leading battle patrols than you do. For another, I have no kin in TigerClan that may cause me to go soft at the wrong time."

Bramblestar said nothing, but his heart beat faster. So did Leafpool's, surprisingly enough. Robinpaw blinked. What was going on that no one was saying? The whole Clan knew that Hawkstar and Bramblestar were kin, and that Bramblestar's sister lived in TigerClan – but it felt like there was something else here. Why else would Leafpool's heart begin beating with so much concern?

"Are you saying that Bramblestar would hesitate?" Brackenfur meowed. His tone was not accusatory, but questioning.

Onestar didn't reply.

"Brackenfur," Bramblestar meowed, his voice resigned. "Onestar will lead the patrol. You'll go with him."

"Of course," Brackenfur agreed.

"Then we'll begin discussing the preparations," Onestar decided. "Ashfoot and Bramblestar will stay here – but what warriors would be going with us?"

There was a period of silence, and then Leafpool spoke: "Kestrelpaw – take Robinpaw and go check on Owlwhisker."

"What?" Robinpaw wondered, shocked. The discussion was just starting to get interesting! "You're kicking us out of the meeting?"

"You two have heard enough," Barkface meowed. "Anything else will be heard at the meeting. Go and take care of Owlwhisker."

Robinpaw bristled, but Kestrelpaw nudged him.

"Let's go," he mewed.

Robinpaw lashed his tail and followed Kestrelpaw out of the cave and down the Highledge steps, using Kestrelpaw's tail to help him get down the steps.

_How dare they kick me out!_ Robinpaw thought, frowning. _Does my opinion not matter? Ugh… I hate being a medicine cat! If I were a warrior I'd be sitting in there with them, planning battles…_

"Don't look so grumpy," Kestrelpaw meowed. From the smell, they had reached the medicine cat's den. Kestrelpaw had stopped, and Robinpaw stopped just behind him. "We're just apprentices right now, but when we're full medicine cats they'll listen to us like they listen to Leafpool and Barkface."

Robinpaw flattened his ears. "Why would medicine cats be important in a warrior meeting, anyway?" he wondered.

"Medicine cats don't just heal, you know," Kestrelpaw pointed out. "We act like advisors for the leader – we're the voice of StarClan! And it's not like we don't know anything about strategy… Barkface and Leafpool are there to make sure the plan goes through with as few injuries as possible."

Robinpaw frowned.

_If that's a medicine cat's only exciting duty,_ Robinpaw thought, _I can't wait to get out of this terrible position!_

* * *

"… and that is that situation," Onestar called. His voice was loud, echoing throughout the hollow to the waiting crowd below. Lionpaw and Robinpaw sat together near the edge of the crowd with the other apprentices, fur bristling.

"Brackenfur and I will lead a battle patrol to take back the old Twoleg nest for LionClan," Onestar meowed. "Ashfoot and Bramblestar will remain here to keep the camp secure, along with any warriors we do not take with us. As for who is coming… Brackenfur?"

The golden brown tabby dipped his head and padded out to the edge of the Highledge. Raising his voice, he announced: "Dustpelt, Tornear, Whitetail, Cloudtail, Thornclaw, Stormfur, Crowfeather, Spiderleg, Birchfall, Weaselfur, Berrypaw, Hazelpaw, Mousepaw, Poppypaw, and Cinderpaw."

Lionpaw's heart fell. Though he hadn't expected to be picked, it was still disheartening to be passed over. He glanced at Spottedpaw. Her eyes were dazzling up at her mentor, filled with admiration and respect… but also there was a hint of worry there.

_I would be worried too, if my mentor was going,_ Lionpaw thought. _Maybe they left Sorreltail out because Brackenfur didn't want to lose her…_ No – he banished the thought. Sorreltail was as much as warrior as Brackenfur, and neither would do such a thing to protect the other.

"We ask for those who have been named to meet with Brackenfur and I outside of camp," Onestar announced. "Other than that, this meeting is over."

All around the apprentices the meeting began to break up – the cats who were going to battle headed out of camp, sending quick good-byes and see-you-soons to their loved ones before they passed through the tunnel. Lionpaw watched as Daisy gave each of her kits a lick between her ears – he could see the queen's tail trembling with anxiety.

"I wish we could go," Breezepaw grumbled beside Lionpaw. "Whitetail says I don't have enough training."

"Well, she's right!" Heatherpaw hissed back, neck fur bristling. "Crowfeather's told me nothing but horror stories about what TigerClan does to untrained apprentices!"

"_Anything_ Crowfeather tells you is a horror story," Breezepaw grumbled. "He makes everything so severe!"

"Recklessness will get you killed!" Spottedpaw mewed urgently. Her eyes were huge and serious. "Do you really want to die so soon?"

"Of course not!" Breezepaw shot back, bristling. "But I want to feel useful, you know? If I die, I'd like to die fighting – not die of boredom."

"Guarding the camp is an _honor,"_ Heatherpaw told him.

"Yeah? Well it's a _boring_ one," Breezepaw retorted.

"We just have to train harder," Lionpaw meowed. "Soon enough we'll be fighting alongside our friends – fighting TigerClan for the freedom of the lake. Until then, we're going to memorize every fighting move and every technique we can!"

Breezepaw rolled his eyes, nudging Lionpaw with his head. "You're a mouse-brain, Lionpaw," he meowed. "Of _course_ I'm going to know all the fighting moves! TigerClan warriors won't stand a chance against me!"

Lionpaw looked away from his half-brother and towards the entrance. The last of the battle party was making their way out of the camp, all of them great warriors. Lionpaw couldn't wait to be amongst them.

_One day, I'll be fighting TigerClan with my own claws,_ Lionpaw thought. Power pulsed in his paws. _One day, I'll help save the lake too._


	13. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_The moon was rising in the _sky as Robinpaw ducked into the medicine cat's den once again, keeping his pawsteps quiet. Kestrelpaw was sleeping near the entrance, curled up tight in his nest by the sound of it. Robinpaw wished to join him, but his stomach churned.

_I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight,_ Robinpaw thought. Either the mouse he had eaten for supper had been bad, or the smell of Owlwhisker's festering wound was getting to him – but Robinpaw hadn't been able to lie down for more than a moment without having to visit the dirtplace.

He sighed, settling himself in the medicine cat's den. Barkface and Leafpool were sleeping on the other side of the cave, a fair distance away from one another. They were sound asleep, from the sound of them.

Robinpaw sniffed the air – the smell of Owlwhisker was tempered but a little by the smell of the rows and rows of herbs that they had prepared after the Clan meeting. When the battling cats returned, they would need tending to immediately.

_I guess I can wake them when the warriors return, I suppose,_ Robinpaw thought. _Silverhawk will be upset that I'm missing training, but with my stomach in knots I don't think I can handle it tonight._

He had chewed a bit of chervil, but it hadn't helped. In fact, it seemed to make his stomach worse. Robinpaw figured the bout would pass soon, though.

Sighing again, Robinpaw settled himself down on the stone floor of the den. He rested his paws against the ground, feeling the heartbeats of every cat in the den – from the sleeping heartbeats of the medicine cats, to the slow, slow beat of Owlwhisker.

Robinpaw's ears shot up.

_Slow?_ Robinpaw thought. _Why is his heartbeat so slow?_

Robinpaw sat up and padded over to Owlwhisker. The warrior was, for once, not jerking or having fits in his sleep – he was lying still, calm, and Robinpaw could hardly hear him breathing. Robinpaw placed a gentle paw on the warrior's flank, and realized that his breathing was twice as slow as the cats sleeping around him.

Heart beating in his ears, Robinpaw felt a chill run down his spine.

"Owlwhisker?" he whispered.

No response.

"Owlwhisker!" Robinpaw hissed. "Wake up!"

Robinpaw nudged the tom, but he didn't move. There was a stillness – a coldness – about him that made Robinpaw shiver.

_What do I do?_ Robinpaw thought frantically. Suddenly every horrible, mean thing he'd said about Owlwhisker's condition came back to him like a blow from Silverhawk – how the warrior wasn't worth the herbs, how he might as well just die… Robinpaw felt the pit in his stomach grow.

How could he be so awful so some cat who needed his help?

Robinpaw trembled, slumping beside Owlwhisker. He pressed himself close to the tom, closing his eyes tightly and hoping, just hoping that the warrior didn't think that Robinpaw had hated him.

_I was a mouse-brain,_ Robinpaw thought. _Your life matters, Owlwhisker._

_I'm sorry._

* * *

Robinpaw opened his eyes, startled by the swirls of color that danced before his eyes.

He was dreaming!

Stars glittered in the cloudless sky, close to the ground and touching the trees in the distance. Wide, wide plains stretched in every other direction, open and vast, with rolling hills and nary a tree or bush in sight. The grass was long, sparkling with dew, brushing against Robinpaw's sides.

Robinpaw blinked several times, adjusting himself to the jolt that was going from sightless to seeing. He turned about, looking over the moorland. This wasn't where he met Silverhawk – so what was he doing here?

A shape flickered in the distance, loping up one of the taller hills. Outlined by starlight, the shape of Owlwhisker raised its tail.

Robinpaw raced towards the warrior. As he got closer, he realized that Owlwhisker looked young, healthy, strong! The starlight shone on his muscles and his fur was sleek. His eyes were bright with life, glittering like stars.

"Robinpaw!" Owlwhisker called as Robinpaw slowed to a halt beside him. "What're you doing here?"

Robinpaw panted, "I… I don't know. What are _you_ doing here?"

Owlwhisker frowned. "Not sure," he admitted. "But I haven't felt this good in days."

Robinpaw flicked his ears, concern welling up in him.

"It's funny – I hardly remember this place," Owlwhisker meowed. "Robinpaw, do you know where we… no, of course you don't. You were born by the lake."

Robinpaw tipped his head. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is the old forest," Owlwhisker told him, gesturing with his tail. "I was born here. This is WindClan's territory, back before the Great Journey."

Robinpaw scanned the horizon, looking over the plateau. Suddenly he could see the places he had been told about as a kit – the hills that Ferncloud, the trees Leafpool had grown up under. The river in the distance, and the Thunderpath – even the Thunderpath! It was empty of monsters, but it was there, too.

"I wonder… what would bring me here?" Owlwhisker wondered. He looked up at the sky, and for the first time he seemed to see the stars. His eyes widened, and he sat down suddenly.

"Oh, no," he breathed. "I'm… I'm _dying,_ aren't I? Or… or am I already gone?"

Robinpaw opened his mouth to reply, but another voice replied.

"Not quite yet, Owlwhisker," rasped the voice. "Your time isn't up yet."

Owlwhisker's ears pricked at the voice, and he bent his head. "Tallstar!" he gasped.

_Tallstar?_ Robinpaw thought.

The black-and-white tom from bedtime stories pushed through the grass, stars sparkling at his paws. His long tail rose like the trunk of a tree, and his amber eyes looked upon Owlwhisker with affection.

"Rise, Owlwhisker," Tallstar meowed. "Robinpaw has come to take you home."

"I… I have?" Robinpaw wondered.

Tallstar nodded. "Take him back," the former WindClan leader meowed. "It is not his time – LionClan needs all its warriors, now more than ever."

Robinpaw dipped his head in respect. "Thank you, Tallstar," he mewed. "I'll take him back." How he was to do that, he didn't know – but this was a StarClan cat; you didn't question one of your warrior ancestors when they visited you.

"Our blessings go with you," Tallstar meowed. He looked to Robinpaw, locking eyes with the cream-furred apprentice. "Robinpaw – remember these words. _Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red. _Remember that there are _three, kin of his kin, with the power of the stars in their paws."_

Robinpaw's ears tingled at the words, but Owlwhisker didn't seem to hear them. He was standing stock-still, neither blinking nor breathing. Robinpaw realized that Tallstar's words were meant for Robinpaw alone, and Owlwhisker was somehow… frozen.

"You walk a dark path, Robinpaw," Tallstar meowed, getting Robinpaw's attention again. "There can be a light at the end – but if one of the three should fall, all will perish under the tiger's claws."

"I… I don't understand," Robinpaw meowed. "Why are you telling me this?"

Tallstar blinked. "Because you are a medicine cat," he replied.

Robinpaw flattened his ears.

"Sometimes our destinies are not what we want," Tallstar told him. "Sometimes they're the opposite, in fact – but your fate is your fate, and that cannot be changed, no matter what you do. You are a medicine cat, Robinpaw. Realize it now, or realize it later; it is your destiny."

_But I don't _want_ it to be my destiny!_ Robinpaw wailed inwardly. There was no use arguing aloud with the spirit, though – if Tallstar was anything like Silverhawk, he was sure to get reprimanded if he did.

Robinpaw blinked, and Tallstar was gone. Owlwhisker was gone, too, and slowly the moorland around him began to disappear, melting like ice in newleaf. The stars glowed brighter and brighter, and when Robinpaw closed his eyes again the dream was done.

* * *

"Robinpaw?"

Robinpaw opened his eyes to blackness, finding his face engulfed in some cat's fur. The chill of the night had crept into his bones, but there was warmth near him – Owlwhisker was breathing normally again, and his heartbeat was back to normal. Robinpaw sighed with relief.

"Robinpaw!" hissed Leafpool. "What are you doing? Are you all right?"

"S-Sorry, I…" Robinpaw stammered.

"You fell asleep on Owlwhisker!" Leafpool mewed. "It would be funny, if he weren't wounded! Get off of him!"

Robinpaw bristled and pushed himself off of the warrior. He heard Leafpool's pawsteps pad around Owlwhisker's body. Robinpaw could hear her sniffing the warrior.

"Leafpool…" Robinpaw began.

"Get some sleep, Robinpaw," Leafpool meowed curtly. "The battle party will be back soon – you need your rest."

"But Leafpool!"

"Rest!" Leafpool insisted. He imagined her lashing her tail. "Now. That's an order."

Robinpaw sighed.

"You can tell me what you mean to in the morning," Leafpool told him gently. "Get some rest."

Robinpaw turned and plodded to his nest, tiredness dragging at his muscles. Owlwhisker was all right – but Robinpaw felt like he could collapse.

At least his stomach felt better.

* * *

A great commotion woke Spottedpaw. Her eyes snapped open, and as the dawn light filtered into the apprentice's den she spotted movement outside. She shot up and breathed, "They're back!"

She turned to Lionpaw, nudging him with her paws. Her brother hissed and grumbled, but when Spottedpaw insisted, "The battle party's back!" Lionpaw shot up too.

"They're back?" he breathed.

Spottedpaw nodded.

Lionpaw turned to the other apprentices, announcing, "The battle party's back!"

Some moved, some didn't – but Spottedpaw and Lionpaw didn't care. They leaped out of the apprentice's den as dawn broke over the horizon, casting a yellow-red glow over the hollow. The battle party was padding back into the camp, tails low and heads lower.

Spottedpaw blinked.

This wasn't right.

Crowfeather passed them, his blue eyes narrowed as he padded forward. He was limping on one foot, vicious clawmarks down his sides and blood clotted in his fur. Lionpaw and Spottedpaw approached him, ears flat.

"What happened?" Lionpaw wondered. "Did… did you win?"

Crowfeather looked first at his son, and then at his daughter. Sadness flooded his blue eyes, and he touched his nose to Spottedpaw's forehead as the young tortoiseshell's body began to tremble with anxiety.

"We won," Crowfeather murmured.

"But…?" Spottedpaw could sense it coming.

Crowfeather swallowed. The lanky warrior breathed, "It was a _disaster."_


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_It was a disaster._

When the wounded limped into camp, supported by their Clanmates, Spottedpaw saw what her father had meant. The members of the battle party who had come before had simply not seen what the rest had – they were lucky, to Spottedpaw.

Her limbs were frozen to the ground – if the thought had crossed her mind to help, she couldn't. She felt Lionpaw stiffen beside her as Crowfeather strode past.

Others were beginning to stir – warriors crept out of ever crevice, eyes wide with shock.

"What happened?" asked one.

"Are you all right?" another wondered.

Spottedpaw's ears were ringing – she could hardly hear the replies from the wounded. A sharp cry of horror rose from the crowd, but Spottedpaw was too stunned to see whom it had come from.

_A… disaster? How…_

_How can we win… but have it still be…_

_A 'disaster'?_

There was another cry of horror – but this one was the one that brought Spottedpaw out of her stunned stupor.

"_Brackenfur!"_

"Brackenfur?" Spottedpaw murmured.

She looked into the crowd – for there was one now. The wounded cats were huddled in a group at the center, with those who remained whispering, muttering, worrying all around them. Leafpool, Barkface, Robinpaw, and Kestrelpaw were inside the circle, tending to the wounded.

Spottedpaw and Lionpaw worked their way inside, pushing past the warriors clustered around.

"No way…" Lionpaw breathed.

Spottedpaw was rooted to the ground once more – and she was thankful for it. The blow dealt by what she saw would have knocked her completely off of her own trusted paws.

Three bodies lay in the clearing, stretched out and ignored by the medicine cats. Daisy huddled near one, her muzzle pressed deep into the gray-and-white fur of her son, Mousepaw. When she lifted her head to let out another keening wail, her muzzle was bloodied by her son's deadly wounds. Hazelpaw was sitting with her, tail twined with her mother. Berrypaw's face was stark, filled with grief.

The second body had golden-brown fur and, though he was not facing Spottedpaw she knew that it was Brackenfur. Sorreltail was curled around him, nose pushed into his bloodied pelt. Patches of fur were missing from his flanks, and his body looked… _broken_ in places.

A third body was lying off to the side, in the shade of the Highledge. Leafpool was fussing over Cinderpaw there, Robinpaw darting to and fro at his mentor's whim.

Spottedpaw swallowed as Daisy let out another cry of grief.

"What madness is this?" roared Bramblestar. He was standing atop the Highledge, amber eyes round. Ashfoot was beside him, her tail bristling.

Onestar stepped forward, out of the wounded. There were lacerations up and down his body – but they were mere scratches compared to others' wounds. It looked as if he had hardly fought at all.

"It was a trap," Onestar told him bitterly.

"A trap!" Bramblestar repeated, eyes still wide with disbelief.

Onestar nodded. The lean tabby inclined his head and meowed, "We arrived at the old Twoleg nest and began re-marking the boundary… but once the sun set behind the trees they came, striking from every angle possible but the trees."

"We managed to retake the nest," Cloudtail meowed, "but not without… losses." The white warrior nodded to the bodies, his blue eyes filled with anger and regret. One of his ears was almost completely missing, nearly torn from its roots like a sapling. Barkface was daubing a poultice onto it, and Cloudtail hissed as it stung his ear.

Bramblestar leaped down from the Highledge, skipping every other step. Ashfoot followed, and the two stepped into the crowd. Most all were silent except for those who were mourning. Bramblestar padded between Mousepaw's and Brackenfur's bodies and looked at them both, eyes filled with grief. He looked at Onestar.

"How… how did they die?" Bramblestar demanded.

"It was my fault!" Berrypaw burst. "I should have… I shouldn't have…"

Ferncloud padded up to him and licked between his ears, comforting him as if he were one of her own kits.

Bramblestar looked still to Onestar.

"Mousepaw was ganged up on by two TigerClan warriors," Onestar explained. "He was dragged into the undergrowth – Berrypaw and Hazelpaw both tried to stop them, but they were attacked themselves. When we found him, he was already gone."

Bramblestar lowered his eyes and sighed.

"Brackenfur died the death of the bravest warrior," Cloudtail offered, pulling away from Barkface. "He was everywhere in the battle, Bramblestar. He helped everyone he could."

"It's true," Onestar agreed, nodding.

"And… And Cinderpaw?" Ashfoot wondered. Her grief-filled eyes flickered to the young apprentice lying in a crumpled heap before her.

"Cinderpaw isn't dead," Onestar meowed. "In the fighting, I was near enough to see what happened to her – she was ganged up on, like Mousepaw. Brackenfur stepped in and died saving her life – but the wounds they gave her are great."

Bramblestar was silent for a moment.

Then, he sputtered, "This… This is _madness."_

Spottedpaw staggered forward, padding towards Brackenfur's body. Sorreltail looked up at her, but Spottedpaw couldn't see what the she-cat was doing. Brackenfur laid there, his body almost unidentifiable from this angle, his fur spiked with dried blood. His eyes were shut, but Spottedpaw's paws trembled at the sight of the stillness he held.

_My mentor is dead,_ she thought.

_One of this Clan's best warriors – one of our wisest and most thoughtful – is dead._

_The cat I aspired to be like is dead._

_Because of TigerClan._

"StarClan help us all," a cat murmured nearby.

* * *

The mourning seemed to go on all day – it was sunset before Bramblestar and Onestar called a meeting.

Lionpaw had been sitting with Spottedpaw, Breezepaw, and Heatherpaw the whole time. Heatherpaw and Lionpaw had been trying to coax Spottedpaw to eat – but the tortoiseshell she-cat's eyes seemed to stare in some far-away direction, looking at something no other cat could see. Barkface came by and assured them that Spottedpaw just needed time.

When the meeting was called, they gathered at the edge of the crowd. Lionpaw kept close to Spottedpaw, who still seemed to be off in the distance. Concern for his sister grew – but it turned into frustration when he saw Robinpaw slip through the crowd.

Lionpaw glared at his brother. Spottedpaw's mentor had just died – and did he seem to care? No! How could he be so selfish? So angry?

Onestar's voice interrupted Lionpaw's train of thought:

"Today, LionClan," he began, his voice dragging with tiredness, "we have seen just how ruthless TigerClan can choose to be. All our conflicts up to this point seem like skirmishes in comparison. TigerClan has unsheathed their claws… and dealt us a terrible, terrible wound."

"But we are LionClan!" Bramblestar called, his amber eyes burning. "We will recover. We will be stronger, faster, wiser! We have learned from this bitter victory, and we will go on."

Bramblestar adjusted himself on the Highledge, standing close to the edge. "Tonight we commend the spirits of Brackenfur and Mousepaw to StarClan. Brackenfur was a wonderful warrior, father, and friend – loyal and true to the Clan. He would have made a great leader.

"Mousepaw was a good apprentice – willing to learn. He got along well with his denmates and littermates, and he was a good hunter. He… He would have been proud to see his littermates become warriors tonight."

Lionpaw's ears pricked in shock. He'd heard Berrypaw boasting every which way about becoming a warrior for days – was Bramblestar really going to do it tonight? He knew the Clan was in need of new warriors… but were they really ready?

_I suppose surviving a battle like that would be certainly something,_ Lionpaw thought. _And they are the eldest apprentices._

"Hazelpaw, Berrypaw – step forward," Bramblestar meowed.

The two did – their pelts were sleek, their tails low. They stood before the body of their brother, looking solemnly up at their leader. Lionpaw frowned – this was the least arrogant moment in Berrypaw's life… and it was the moment that Lionpaw and the other apprentices had rolled their eyes about in the apprentice's den behind his back.

"I say these words before the spirit of Mousepaw – that he may hear and approve of your new names," Bramblestar meowed. "You have both proven yourselves in the eyes of StarClan that you are worthy of warriorhood. By the power StarClan has given me, Hazelpaw – you will be known as Hazeltail. StarClan honors your warmth and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LionClan."

Hazeltail dipped her head to Bramblestar in respect.

"Berrypaw, by the power StarClan has given me – you will be known as Berryfrost. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LionClan."

Berryfrost lowered his head to Bramblestar, ears pricked.

"We -"

"Wait!"

The Clan shifted in shock as Berryfrost lifted his head.

"Please," he meowed. "Wait."

"Yes?" Onestar asked.

"Can… can you please give Mousepaw a warrior name?" Berryfrost asked. His words rushed from his mouth, as if he expected to be interrupted. "I think he deserves it. He did just as much training as we did, and it's unfair that Hazeltail and I get names while he doesn't. He died, but he fought like a warrior until the end!"

Bramblestar glanced at Onestar. The Clan was silent.

Onestar, finally, dipped his head.

"Very well," Onestar meowed. "Mousepaw shall have a warrior name in the stars."

Onestar cleared his throat, and then announced: "I ask that StarClan look down upon this apprentice. He fought in accordance to the warrior code, and we shall honor him with his warrior name. From this moment forth, he will be known as Mouseflight."

"Thank you," Daisy murmured. The she-cat was still curled around her son, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.

"Berryfrost and Hazeltail may carry out their vigil beside Mouseflight," Bramblestar decided. "Now, though, there are other matters. Brackenfur is gone – and though he will be sorely missed, LionClan is without a second deputy."

Lionpaw flicked his ears. So… he was going to appoint a new deputy? Who could possible take Brackenfur's place?

"LionClan is not TigerClan – Onestar and I have both decided who the second deputy will be," Bramblestar meowed. "We hope Brackenfur's spirit is watching, so he may hear and approve of our choice."

Silence hung in the air. Lionpaw craned his neck – who would it be? Dustpelt? Tornear?

"Cloudtail will serve beside Ashfoot as a deputy of LionClan."

Cloudtail lifted his head from the crowd. He had great wads of cobwebs and herbs slapped around his injured ears, and his long fur hid his wounds. His blue eyes were round with shock.

"I… I don't know what to say, Bramblestar," he murmured.

"I will not forget how you fought by my side with bravery," Onestar meowed. "I think Brackenfur would have wanted it this way."

Cloudtail stood. Brightheart was beside him, her good eye brimming with pride. The white warrior nodded and meowed, "Then I will do my best."

The crowd parted as Cloudtail made his way to the Highledge. He positioned himself beside Ashfoot – but not without stopping to dip his head to Brackenfur in respect.

"With that out of the way," Bramblestar sighed, "with heavy hearts we must go on. We will mourn Mouseflight and Brackenfur – and we will remember the brutal way they were treated. Apprentices must be trained at triple speed – Cloudtail and Ashfoot will even be assessing warriors themselves, making sure they're fit to fight. TigerClan took us by surprise once… and we paid for it. We cannot let it happen again."

"Apprentices can be trained as fast as a hawk can fly," Thornclaw grumbled nearby. "But we'll have no kit ready to be trained by the end of it… and who can say that what we teach them will really sink in?"

Lionpaw flicked his ear at the older warrior. A few others nodded in agreement.

Onestar took over, commanding the attention. "Brackenfur's death has left Spottedpaw without a mentor. We have decided that Brightheart will resume Spottedpaw's training."

_Brightheart?_ Lionpaw thought. The one-eyed she-cat had never had an apprentice before, but her gentle name and loving nature hid a skilled warrior – and she was Brackenfur's sister.

"You hear that?" Lionpaw asked, turning to Spottedpaw.

His sister said nothing, and Lionpaw curled his tail around his paws with anxiety.

The cheering for the new warriors and Brightheart settled down, and the Clan meeting seemed to be over. The Clan was splitting up into groups, huddling around Mouseflight and Brackenfur or simply saying a quick farewell before leaving to hunt or sleep. The wounded were being ferried back towards the medicine cat's den, huddling in makeshift nests just outside the small cave.

It was when the crowd was mostly gone that Spottedpaw finally spoke – when she did, Lionpaw could only hear a murmur.

"What was that?" he asked.

"TigerClan," she repeated.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"They did this."

"Yes…"

Spottedpaw turned her head, her eyes like glowing chips of stone. A cold starlight glittered in them, and Lionpaw's pelt trembled from a strange feeling radiating from his sister.

"I'm going to _destroy_ TigerClan," Spottedpaw declared.


	15. Chapter 13

**I didn't actually forget Hazeltail's ceremony. It's in there, just before Berryfrost's.**

**As for the Three's powers - they will be similar to what they were before. Since there will be no cat like Dovewing (meaning there won't be someone who was just shoved in there because they couldn't think of a power for Hollyleaf - doesn't mean Dovewing won't appear in some form) it means that the Three you see are the Three you get. I'm still working out the details, but Robinpaw's and Lionpaw's powers will be pretty much the same, with a little nerfing. Spottedpaw's powers are actually beginning to come into play, though I'm sort of working it out as I go.**

**Honestly I wouldn't _want_ to be one of the Erin's - for one, they're not looking for extra members. For two, my writing is a little underdeveloped. For three, I'd get too worked up about all the continuity errors and the unrealisticness of the cats. Finally, I'd probably get kicked out for wanting more representation in the series... also for not liking Ashfur or Crowfeather. I think liking them and stomaching their awful behavior is a prerequisite.**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_Squirrelflight fidgeted on her paws, a_ sense of discomfort fluffing her tail fur. Starling sat beside her, but her friend's presence was no comfort.

_Hawkstar only lets me come out to see Clan meetings when there's something he wants to rub into my face,_ she thought.

Hawkstar had his Clan gathered before him. He was perched on the fallen log that was his den, chin raised proudly. Blackclaw and Russetfur were settled below him. Ashfur sat between them, lurking like a pale shadow, his blue eyes blank. TigerClan was spread out before him, under the rustling willow trees, all eyes trained raptly on their leader.

Squirrelflight slicked her tail.

_He brought me out when he announced that Leopardstar was dead. He brought me out when he said Mistyfoot was dead. He brought me out when he announced his claim to ShadowClan. He's brought me out for every victory against LionClan so far._

She shuddered.

_What could it be this time?_

"Are you all right?" Starling asked, hissing gently into Squirrelflight's ear.

Squirrelflight didn't answer. She felt a few TigerClan eyes stray from the crowd to rest on her. She could almost hear their whispers. Tawnypelt's gaze was the only soft one, resting on Squirrelflight for but a moment before turning back to Hawkstar when the egotistical tom began to speak.

"Cats of TigerClan!" he called, his voice reaching to the tops of the trees. Glee danced in his ice-blue eyes, and Squirrelflight swallowed, feeling bile rise in her throat. "We have achieved a great victory against LionClan!"

The Clan cheered. Squirrelflight blinked, worried, looking over at the TigerClan warriors. She spotted new injuries – fresh scars, red weals, and fur still crusted into spikes of dark blood. None looked terribly injured, but the evidence was there.

_They attacked LionClan!_

"But…" when the cheering died down, a young apprentice stepped forward. Minnowpaw, a dappled gray-and-white she-cat with sleek RiverClan fur. "But the border got changed back," she said, hesitantly. "Doesn't… Hawkstar, doesn't that mean we lost?"

Hawkstar looked down at the young apprentice, his chin lowered just a touch. Blackclaw narrowed his eyes, curling his lip at the apprentice, while Russetfur's tail twitched. Minnowpaw pinned back her ears, her pale eyes wide as she realized she might have just made a mistake.

"Minnowpaw!" hissed Voletooth. Minnowpaw's mentor stepped out of the crowd, his eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you speak up so! Keep quiet unless you are spoken to!"

Voletooth looked up at Hawkstar and insisted, "I'm sorry, Hawkstar, she's young and -"

"It's all right, Voletooth," Hawkstar purred. "Minnowpaw is right – the border was moved again in LionClan's favor. In most terms that would mean we lost… but this battle is a win for TigerClan – and I will tell you exactly why."

Hawkstar raised his chin again and announced, "TigerClan, this battle was a victory for several reasons – Onestar lost a life and Brackenfur, one of LionClan's deputies, was slain. This, TigerClan, is the victory we were hoping for."

Cheers rose again from the crowd, and Squirrelflight felt her blood run cold. Brackenfur – dead? How could that be?

Images rose to the surface - images of the golden-brown warrior leading patrols, training apprentices, smiling in the sunshine as he touched noses with Sorreltail. He was noble and loyal, and Squirrelflight shivered at the thought of LionClan having lost him.

She felt Starling inch closer until their fur touched. The loner's tail touched Squirrelflight's.

The cheers died down at the flick of Hawkstar's tail.

"We may have lost the border, but we have taken from them a deputy and the life of one of their leaders," Hawkstar crowed. "We are one step closer to taking the lake and restoring peace under one leader."

"Hawkstar! Hawkstar!" called the Clan.

"We honor the warriors and apprentices who fought so bravely," Hawkstar went on. "They did a wonderful job and at the half-moon each will have their chance at earning their warrior names."

The Clan cheered for them. Squirrelflight flattened her ears at the thought of seeing that wretched ritual. _He'll make me watch, though,_ she thought. _Just as he makes me watch these displays._

"Before we go," Hawkstar went on, "I have one more announcement to make."

The Clan went quiet. Squirrelflight wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"You have all fought valiantly," Hawkstar meowed. "But it is only a matter of time before LionClan changes their ways – they can't stick to the warrior code so rigidly and hope to win battles. Soon they will begin killing TigerClan warriors – the death of their deputy will have given them a taste for it.

"The truth is that TigerClan needs more warriors if we are to survive. TigerClan needs more kits. How will this happen, you ask? I have decided to take it upon myself to pair you warriors up, tom with she-cat, for the survival of this Clan."

Squirrelflight's ears pricked, and Starling tensed. A confused murmur coursed through the Clan, and some she-cats flattened their ears, looking incredulously up at Hawkstar.

"Hawkstar," Tawnypelt meowed, stepping forward. "You can't force cats to become mates. It's something that takes time."

"Time is something we do not have, Tawnypelt," Hawkstar countered. "I will not _force_ any cat to mate – all pairings will happen with consent from both parties. Love is not something this Clan hasn't time for. TigerClan has fewer warriors than LionClan, thanks to ThunderClan's loose interpretations of the warrior code. If we ever hope to match LionClan in numbers and strength we _must_ have more kits."

"Brokenstar used this same excuse to steal kits from other Clans!" Oakfur pointed out.

"TigerClan will not stoop so low as to _steal_ kits!" Hawkstar hissed. The fur on his spine rippled, as if the thought repulsed him. "TigerClan will survive by _TigerClan's will alone."_

Hawkstar flattened his fur, composing himself. "The pairings will be decided by the half-moon. I understand that some she-cats wish to remains as warriors – that is fine," Hawkstar announced. "I will not force kits upon she-cats who want none – and any tom who tries without a she-cat's permission will be severely punished."

The Clan still seemed rather unsettled by the thought. Squirrelflight knew she was – no cat had any right to pair cats together like they were prey to be played with.

"I will do my part," Graymist announced, stepping forward. "I will bear kits gladly for TigerClan, Hawkstar. I don't want, however, for my kits to be thrown to their deaths in battle."

"They will receive the best possible training, Graymist," Hawkstar promised. "Apprentices are training at quadruple speed, and none of our warriors have died yet. You will be assured that your kits – TigerClan's loyal warriors – will have every skill necessary before going into battle."

Graymist nodded her head, as if that was enough for her.

Tawnypelt stepped forward again. "Hawkstar," she meowed, "this proposal is something no Clan leader would have _ever_ suggested, if things were the old way."

Hawkstar leaned forward, ears pricked.

"But as this is clearly not the old way," Tawnypelt went on, her mottled head high, "I must be assured of our kits' safety. Six moons, Hawkstar. They _must remain_ in the nursery for _six moons._ No doing what Brokenstar did – no three- or four-moon old apprentices. We queens will _not_ stand for it."

"Of course," Hawkstar meowed. "That shall always stand."

"And Hawkstar," Tawnypelt began again.

Squirrelflight's tail bushed. _Quit while you're ahead, Tawnypelt – he's your kin, but he doesn't care for that!_

"You cannot tear apart those who love one another," the mottled warrior insisted. "Those who already have mates should be able to stay loyal without fear of being forced to have kits with another tom or she-cat."

Hawkstar flicked his ear. Then, he dipped his head. "Of course, Tawnypelt," he said. "I will not separate those whose hearts beat as one. Is that all?"

"For now," Tawnypelt meowed.

"Very well," Hawkstar stated. "This meeting is over – those apprentices who participated in the battle last night may have the day for rest. Those who did not are to be out training or hunting or patrolling. Dismissed!"

The meeting broke up. Squirrelflight watched Tawnypelt shake her head at Hawkstar before she turned back into the nursery. Dawncloud was waiting just outside, the elderly queen having watched Tawnypelt's young kits while she attended the meeting. Warriors gathered apprentices up, and soon most of the marshy camp was empty.

Squirrelflight sighed.

"I'm sorry, Squirrelflight," Starling murmured.

Squirrelflight looked at the gray tabby loner. Her pretty face was marred by sorrow.

"Was he a great warrior?" she asked.

Squirrelflight nodded. "One of the best," she replied.

"Starling!"

Starling looked up at the sound of her name. Squirrelflight saw Hawkstar approaching, his victorious gait obvious. Hawkstar's eyes flashed into Squirrelflight's, and the ginger she-cat looked away. Her ears did not miss Hawkstar's snort of pride.

"Yes, Hawkstar?" Starling asked.

"I'd like to take a walk with you," Hawkstar meowed.

"With me, Hawkstar?" Starling wondered. "Is that…?"

"Appropriate?" Hawkstar guessed. "It's as appropriate as I decide it is. Will you come?"

Starling twitched her whiskers, glancing at Squirrelflight. She looked back at Hawkstar, sighing, "I hardly have a choice, do I?"

Hawkstar smirked. "If you were a warrior of TigerClan, not a prisoner, my answer would be that you do," he replied.

"But I'm not."

"But you're not."

Starling sighed.

"Very well, Hawkstar," she decided. "I'll go with you."

"Be careful," Squirrelflight insisted. She didn't bother hiding her words.

Starling smiled at her. "I will," she promised.

Squirrelflight watched the go – Hawkstar in the lead, while Starling kept pace just behind him. A troubled feeling grew in Squirrelflight's heart as they disappeared out of her sight.

_I don't want to lose any more friends._


	16. Chapter 14

**A pedophile? No, there will be no pedophilia here. Only **_**warriors**_** are being paired together, not apprentices – and Hawkstar is excluded from the program for reasons that will be revealed later. If you're complaining about older warriors being paired with younger warriors, think of some of the other popular couples in the series – Brackenfur and Sorreltail, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, and Dustpelt and Ferncloud all had one partner that was significantly older than the other.**

**I actually don't hate Hawkfrost, either. He was a better villain than Scourge, at least.**

**Graystripe and Millie will be showing up – that's why they're in the Allegiances. Soon, actually.**

**As for Ashfur and Squirrelflight being together… fat chance. If you're reading this story only in hopes of that happening, you should probably leave. Ashfur/Squirrelflight is a gross and abusive ship, and it will not be sailing while I'm writing this thing. In fact, that is one ship I will **_**never**_** have happen – even in the Ashfur fic I have planned.**

**Sasha stayed around the old forest in canon so she won't be making an appearance here. And Mothwing is fine; she's still about doing her thing. TigerClan needs a medicine cat that can be trusted, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_Robinpaw wandered through the gloom, his_ eyes heavy even here in his dreams. He had hoped for a break from the training with Silverhawk – but when he closed his eyes after the busy day of caring for his injured Clanmates he found himself beneath the leafless branches of the forest where he trained.

He scented the air. He couldn't smell Silverhawk, but there were traces of other cat-scent that lingered in the air, scents he hadn't smelled before. _There are other cats here?_ He wondered. _Who are they? Are they like Silverhawk?_

_Are they like me?_

They weren't any Clan-scent he was familiar with – but Robinpaw couldn't smell Silverhawk just yet, so he padded in the direction of the closest scent trail. It smelled strange, like rotten water. Silverhawk didn't smell like this. When Robinpaw pushed past a clump of bracken, he found himself in an unfamiliar clearing.

It was mostly bare of trees – yet it was shrouded from the light of the moon by interlocking branches. A slimy-looking river of dark water, a river he had seen before, cut through the far end. This was not the usual clearing he trained with Silverhawk in – there were too many stones littered here and there, and there was a pile of felled logs just to Robinpaw's side.

_What kind of training goes on here?_ Robinpaw wondered.

As if to answer his question, a cat's head exploded from the river, gasping for air. The sound gave Robinpaw a start, his cream-colored fur bristling.

"Tut tut," chided a smooth voice. "You really must learn how to hold your breath for far longer." Like a shadow, a sleek she-cat slipped from the darkness. Her form rippled in the half-light, and Robinpaw realized that he could see almost straight _through_ her. Her pelt was white, patched with ginger and browns and blacks, with a fluffy white tail. Her face was scarred, and an ear was torn. "And you call yourself a natural swimmer! Go under again, and this time I had better not see your face for some time."

Robinpaw felt his pelt prickle as the cat in the water nodded his head and put on a grim face. He took a deep breath, and then disappeared underneath the blackness. Robinpaw shifted on his paws – could a cat even hold their breath underwater? He didn't know. The only cats who had anything to do with swimming were TigerClan.

While he was thinking, the calico she-cat had turned her head to face him. Her amber eyes glowed in the gloom. "You!" she spat. "Who are you?"

Robinpaw started. "R-Robinpaw!" he replied.

She narrowed her eyes.

"I was looking for Silverhawk," Robinpaw offered, uncomfortable under her gaze. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's waiting for you in the glen," she hissed. "I'd get going if I were you – he's not too pleased."

Robinpaw flattened his ears. He nodded and checked the scents – as if the calico's words had summoned it, Silverhawk's scent drifted from the trees. Grateful for a chance to get away from the she-cat, he trotted away at a brisk pace, following his night-mentor's scent through the trees.

The path he followed wound and twisted and turned so much that Robinpaw wondered if he had gone the wrong way, or if he was following a different scent-trail; but eventually he came out of the undergrowth into the glen. Silverhawk was waiting there, like the calico she-cat had promised, and he didn't look too happy at all.

"Silverhawk, I -"

Robinpaw didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. Claws flashed, and pain rippled across Robinpaw's face. He tumbled away from Silverhawk's strike, feeling wetness forming just beneath his eye.

_He hit me!_ Robinpaw thought, shock causing his blood to run cold. _So hard!_

"Get up!" Silverhawk snarled. _"Get up _you useless lump!"

Robinpaw scrabbled to his paws, his cheek stinging. He touched a paw to the injury and then pulled his pad away, seeing tiny droplets of blood. He swallowed.

"I'm sorry," Robinpaw whispered. "I…"

"And _what_ was so important that you miss training?" Silverhawk spat. _"What?"_

"I… I wasn't feeling well!" Robinpaw insisted. "I'd eaten a bad mouse. I couldn't get to sleep!"

"Lies!"

Robinpaw flinched.

"You slept, but you didn't come here," Silverhawk growled, narrowing his eyes. "You will never be a warrior if you spend so much as one night away from this place! Do you understand?"

Robinpaw nodded wordlessly.

"Not only that, but you were late tonight," Silverhawk went on, pacing around Robinpaw. Robinpaw could hear his claws dragging on the oily grass. "Why?"

"There were wounded to be treated," Robinpaw replied. "Lots of them – not to mention vigils. I didn't get to sleep until past moonhigh." Even with four medicine cats, LionClan had a hard time managing the wounded from the battle. Some were still in the den now, taking up what little space the medicine cat's had – Cinderpaw was the worry at the moment, with her twisted leg.

"Are you a medicine cat, or a warrior?" Silverhawk demanded.

"I'm a warrior," Robinpaw answered. "But…"

"But?" Silverhawk paused, narrowing his eyes into slits.

"But my help was needed," Robinpaw replied. "I… I was only using my skills to help my Clanmates. That is all."

Silverhawk flicked his tail.

"I was only doing what any loyal warrior would do!" Robinpaw added.

Silverhawk's piercing eyes remained on Robinpaw for a moment longer, long enough for the young cat to shiver.

"Get ready to perform the leap-and-twist," Silverhawk ordered.

Robinpaw blinked, relief flooding his pelt. "You're… not upset?" he dared to ask.

"Of course I'm upset!" Silverhawk snapped. Robinpaw flinched at his tone. "Furious, in fact! But you were only proving your loyalty to your Clan, something any warrior ought to do. That I can excuse."

Robinpaw breathed a sigh of relief.

"So long as you are here _every night,_ understand?" Silverhawk growled. "I understand being late on occasion – being forced to be a medicine cat is a chore, but it won't keep you up all night."

Robinpaw shivered. The threat there was clear. He nodded, swallowing. _I want to be a warrior!_ He thought. _And Silverhawk is the only one willing to teach me!_

"Now, get into leap-and-twist position!" Silverhawk meowed. _"Now!"_

* * *

The days following the battle seemed agonizingly slow to Spottedpaw. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the battle-party slinking back into camp, covered in wounds and bleeding from head to toe. She could hear every voice, clear as if it had just happened a moment ago – all the groaning in pain, the confusion of her Clanmates, the wails of Sorreltail and Daisy.

Spottedpaw could see it all, just behind her eyelids.

Even her nights were restless. Sleep was as agonizing as blinking – she dreamed of the battle, of claws slashing and cats coming from _everywhere._ She saw LionClan blood flooding the earth, soaking in and turning the world a dark, eerie red. She saw Brackenfur's body lying broken in front of Cinderpaw, and she saw Mouseflight being dragged into the bushes by shadows with eager, hungry eyes. She saw Cinderpaw lying on the ground, wailing over her dead father, her leg broken and twisted.

She had awoken on more than one occasion with her claws out. The morning after the last she had almost clawed out all the fur on Lionpaw's flanks – Lionpaw was told to move his nest, but he refused. He would press close to his sister at night and tell her it would be all right.

_But it won't be all right,_ Spottedpaw thought grimly, digging her claws into the grass. _Not so long as TigerClan breathes._

Four sunrises had come and gone since the battle, and the Clan seemed a little more put-together than before. Cloudtail was settling in well as Brackenfur's replacement, sitting now with Ashfoot below the Highledge and doling out patrol orders. His ears were still caked with cobwebs and reportedly he was temporarily deaf in one – but it didn't stop him from doing his job.

"I won't be going alone!"

She blinked. Sorreltail and Daisy wailed in her ears.

"I'm sorry, Berryfrost – I know you want to do what's best for your brother's memory but -"

"We'll be fast! TigerClan won't even scent us."

"We can't take that risk with just the two of you…"

Spottedpaw blinked. Mouseflight's dead body lay before her paws, mangled by horrifying wounds.

"We need replacements to go to the moorland group and you two are our freshest warriors from the battle!"

"We could do it on our way! Please, Cloudtail – our father needs to know what happened to Mouseflight!"

Spottedpaw blinked. Brackenfur's dead body flashed before her eyes, his golden-brown fur caked with blood.

"We can go with them, Cloudtail. Spottedpaw and I were assigned to the moorland group until the next half-moon anyway."

"I -"

Spottedpaw looked up from her thoughts. Brightheart was talking with Cloudtail just below the Highledge. Berryfrost and Hazeltail were standing beside her. Berryfrost's tail was flicking from side to side impatiently.

Cloudtail glanced at Ashfoot, and the gray she-cat nodded and meowed, "I'd let them go, Cloudtail. Berryfrost is right – Smoky does deserve to know about the death of his son. If Brightheart wants to take Spottedpaw and go with them, that's fine with me. So long as the moorland group replacements come I don't care."

_That's right, it's the half-moon,_ Spottedpaw thought. Every half-moon the camps exchanged warriors so that both the hollow and the moorland had fresh defenders. Being selected to go with Brightheart was an honor – she was only allowed to go because she had memorized so many fighting moves and had proven to be a good hunter. _Breezepaw and Poppypaw are coming, too._

"I suppose," Cloudtail sighed, finally. He blinked his blue eyes at his mate. "You need to get going, though – Dustpelt is not a patient cat."

Brightheart licked her mate's ear. "Thanks," she purred. Her one eye met Spottedpaw's eyes and she nodded to her new apprentice.

Spottedpaw pushed herself to her paws.

"Leaving already?"

Spottedpaw looked back. Her brother was emerging from the apprentice's den, his pelt catching the sunshine. His amber eyes were worried.

"I'll be fine," Spottedpaw insisted.

Lionpaw flicked his ears. Spottedpaw couldn't miss the skepticism in his eyes.

"Stop fussing!" Spottedpaw sighed. "You're like a queen!"

"You're my sister," Lionpaw insisted. He pressed his pelt against her's. "Robinpaw's already put a lot of distance between himself and us… I don't want that to happen between you and me."

"The only distance between us is a distance that needs to be walked by four paws," Spottedpaw promised.

Lionpaw glanced at her, as if he didn't fully believe her.

_I'll be fine,_ Spottedpaw insisted inwardly. _I think._

"Spottedpaw!"

"That's Brightheart," Spottedpaw mewed. "I'm sorry – I have to go."

"Be careful," Lionpaw mewed, touching his nose to her ear.

"Be careful yourself," Spottedpaw insisted, rubbing her cheek against her brother's thick ruff. She turned away from him and trotted towards the entrance. The replacements for the moorland group were already there, and Dustpelt was looking anxious to be off.

"Alright," the dark tabby grunted, "that's all of you. Come on, now. Let's get moving."

Spottedpaw pushed her way out of the gorse, looking back only briefly. _I won't see this place for some time,_ she thought. It would be her first time leaving the forest for more than a day since the day she was kitted.

_I'll come back,_ she promised. _I'll come back stronger, faster, and smarter. TigerClan will not take another LionClan life while I breathe!_


	17. Chapter 15

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while – I've been working on the next installment of **_**Tinystar's Beginning**_** and getting it set up for uploading alongside this story again. Once it's got a good buffer (maybe 5-6 chapters, plus Prologue) you'll be seeing **_**Tinystar's Beginning: Fire and Ice**_** going up alongside this story.**

**Until then, this will update when it can as I try and chip away at my Digimon stories.**

… **The chapter after this one is a doozy.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_Robinpaw pushed himself to his paws,_ his muscles trembling with effort. His shoulder throbbed with pain – Silverhawk had sliced his claws there hard, and the scratches were stinging. Robinpaw had been so shocked that they were sparring with unsheathed claws that the blow had been a surprise, and it had hurt all throughout their session.

"Get up," Silverhawk ordered, lashing his tail.

Robinpaw shuffled on his paws. He was standing, but his shoulder was throbbing. He lashed his tail and sighed, "You could have warned me, you know."

Silverhawk's whiskers twitched. "I'm training you to be a warrior, not a mouse," he replied. "In battle all warriors have unsheathed claws – what's the point in training you with them sheathed?"

_So we don't bleed,_ Robinpaw thought. _Training's not supposed to hurt this much…_

"You're doing well," Silverhawk went on. "But you need to learn to use your senses and anticipate your opponent's moves."

Robinpaw nodded in agreement. Being blind while awake was a real damper on his ability to fight with his eyes peeled open. He needed to make sure his senses were becoming as strong as his muscles – stronger, even.

"Go, then; I'll be seeing you tonight," Silverhawk decided.

"Wait!" Robinpaw gasped. "We can't meet tonight."

"Oh?" Silverhawk's voice was a low growl. "Why not?"

Robinpaw shuffled on his paws. "Barkface is taking me to the Moonpool tonight," he explained. "I can't get out of it."

Silverhawk let out a hiss of disapproval. "I suppose it cannot be helped, then," he grumbled.

"Barkface says it's a long journey, though," Robinpaw assured him. "He said Kestrelpaw and I would be allowed to rest when we got back to our camp."

"See that you do," Silverhawk growled.

"I don't like this any more than you do!" Robinpaw meowed, his voice trembling. "I… I _want_ to be a warrior!"

Silverhawk flicked his tail. "Until you have the skills to show them that you're wasted as a medicine cat, you can do nothing but go along with it," he stated. "Get going."

The silver-and-white warrior disappeared into the shadows, and Robinpaw felt the world fading around him. He blinked, and his sight failed – he saw nothing but darkness as he woke up in his nest just outside the medicine cat's den.

Robinpaw took a moment to get his bearings, blinking his sightless eyes. He could feel sunshine streaming through the gaps in the lichen, the bracken and moss of his nest beneath his paws. Kestrelpaw was gone, Robinpaw sensed, and Leafpool was pacing the floor of the medicine den. Robinpaw could hear the sounds of her fretting, and he angled his ears to listen:

"It's been a quarter moon and there hasn't been any improvement," his mother chittered.

"The bindings have been holding," Barkface replied. "We'll need to gather more bindweed – too bad that Brightheart is going over to the moorland today."

_That's right!_ Robinpaw recalled with a flash. Half-moon time wasn't just Moonpool time, it was the time where the warriors in the hollow and the ones in the moorland would switch. Those who were going had been announced the night before – Brightheart and her new apprentice, Spottedpaw, were on the list.

Robinpaw blinked. _I hope she'll be all right,_ he thought. He shook his head. _There's no point in worrying – it's Spottedpaw! She always knows how to stay out of trouble._

Still, he felt a prickle of guilt. He was still angry at his siblings, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize for the hurtful things he'd said to them. In reality, he knew that their voices wouldn't have done much to change Onestar's and Bramblestar's minds – but he couldn't help but feel betrayed when they looked in in silence as he was forced into this position.

"Kestrelpaw and I can collect some before we leave," Barkface went on.

"We need more marigold, too," Leafpool fretted. "We've nearly run out."

"You'll have to gather that on your own," Barkface told her. "The only clumps we haven't touched since the battle are in the moorland – we won't have time to get them, bring them here, and be back out in time to go to the Moonpool."

"I'll see if a warrior can fetch it for me," Leafpool meowed. Her voice sounded dull, sad – Robinpaw knew she couldn't go to the Moonpool anymore, not since she betrayed the warrior and medicine cat code. Barkface was in charge of that now. "I don't want to leave Cinderpaw with her fever being so high."

"Tornear knows the area best," Barkface assured her. "He and Harepaw can go."

"Is he up for that?"

"He was lucky," Barkface replied. "His wounds are healing well."

Leafpool made a sound that Robinpaw guessed was a grunt of approval. He heard her shuffling some more.

Robinpaw decided that enough was enough – he pushed himself out of his nest and paused to groom a little before heading into the medicine cat's den.

Barkface and Leafpool were the only medicine cats inside. Kestrelpaw, by the sound of it, was out sharing breakfast with Harepaw and Heatherpaw, his kin. Cinderpaw was huddled up in a nest in Owlwhisker's old nesting spot. He moss had been changed, by the smell of it, and he could tell that the poultices coating her leg were getting old. He could feel the haze of Cinderpaw's fever as her body fought the infection from where he stood – Cinderpaw hadn't slept well in days.

"Yes, Robinpaw?" Barkface asked.

"Anything I can do?" Robinpaw asked.

"I smell blood," Leafpool commented.

Robinpaw flinched in shock, and suddenly realized that his shoulder was still welling with little droplets of blood. He leaned over and cleaned it up. _Mouse-dung!_ He thought. _How did that even happen! I was dreaming!_ He thought that the only pains he felt after his sessions with Silverhawk would be the ache in his muscles.

"Did you fight with a bramble in your sleep?" Barkface wondered. Robinpaw could smell his breath – he was closer now, and shuffling closer still. Robinpaw couldn't stop the older medicine cat's nose from thrusting into his personal space.

"Wherever did you get such scratches?" Leafpool fretted. "Don't tell me you were sneaking out at night?"

"I…" Robinpaw wasn't sure what to say.

"Well, you can stop doing that right now," Leafpool decided. "You need your rest, Robinpaw!"

"He'll be fine," Barkface grunted. "But we can't afford to waste our precious herbs on silly scratches! Stay in your nest this time!"

Robinpaw blinked, shocked that he didn't even have to come up with a lie. He nodded along. "I was… just restless," he mumbled. "I got careless."

"You'd best not get careless on our journey to the Moonpool tonight," Barkface warned. "A misstep on that trail, and you can end up with worse than a little scratch."

"I'll be fine," Robinpaw insisted.

Barkface grunted, but Robinpaw could sense Leafpool's worry hanging over her like a cloud. Barkface rumbled, "Go get something to eat and help Leafpool check wounds. At sunhigh, we leave."

Robinpaw nodded and then turned to leave. He swallowed nervously, doing his best not to limp as he padded out of the medicine cat's den. Cats were chatting all around him, and he could smell that those chosen to go to the moorland hadn't left yet. Spottedpaw was sitting out in front of the apprentice's den, and Lionpaw was still inside dozing.

He longed to go and eat with his sister – he sensed the turmoil raging in her mind like a storm - but he turned away. That cave had crumbled, and Robinpaw wasn't sure it could ever be cleared.

* * *

"Keep up, Robinpaw!" Barkface called.

Robinpaw stumbled over another bit of stone. The walk to the stream had been easy, but following it up and up, to where the air was clear of trees and the world seemed high up, was harder than Robinpaw liked to admit. Stones rattled beneath his paws as he struggled to climb, shuffling his paws ahead of him to guess the way.

"I can help," Kestrelpaw offered. The other apprentice was hanging back, close enough to make sure that Robinpaw didn't stumble. Barkface was far ahead, leaving his scent trail for Robinpaw to follow.

Robinpaw let out a frustrated hiss. He did _need_ help.

Kestrelpaw sighed and stepped back again, allowing Robinpaw to fumble his way up the slope himself.

"There's a bush there," Kestrelpaw warned.

Robinpaw could smell it just as Kestrelpaw had pointed it out. Swerving, Robinpaw pressed on. He didn't need any more scratches on his pelt. His paws felt raw as he clambered up the slope, sun beating down on his back.

_All this just to stick our noses into a pool?_ Robinpaw thought.

"It's not so bad once you learn your way," Kestrelpaw offered, coming up beside him. "I'll bet that after a few trips you'll know how to get up here as easy as you know how to get around the forest!"

Robinpaw grimaced. His ability to get around the forest relied heavily on the scents of LionClan warriors along the well-trodden paths to guide his way. Here, the scents were sharp – but there weren't any familiar scents leading up the path. One trip twice a moon didn't leave enough of an impression for Robinpaw to figure out.

He took a deep breath. _Use your senses,_ he thought. _You don't need your eyes to fight, so you definitely don't need your eyes to do this._

"Do any other medicine cats come up here?" Robinpaw asked. "I know Leafpool doesn't, but… does TigerClan visit the Moonpool?"

He felt Kestrelpaw stiffen beside him, and it was Barkface who replied, "No."

"Why not?" Robinpaw asked. "I thought all medicine cats visited the Moonpool?"

"TigerClan does not look up to StarClan," Barkface assured Robinpaw. "The ancestors they see are dark and twisted. The Moonpool does not harbor their dark hearts."

_You say that like the Moonpool has a choice,_ Robinpaw thought grumpily.

"You'll know when you meet StarClan," Kestrelpaw offered. "They have their own territory, stretching as far as the eye can see…"

Kestrelpaw droned on about how lovely StarClan's territory was. Robinpaw suppressed a snort. _Silverhawk's from StarClan, and his territory is anything _but_ pretty!_ He realized that the medicine cats had no idea he could see in his dreams – he wasn't about to tell them.

_My secrets are my own._

* * *

They arrived at the Moonpool just as the half-moon was high in the sky – or so Kestrelpaw said. Robinpaw had the feeling he was standing at the edge of a precipice, and he could smell stone and water and starlight below him. He could hear the trickle of a stream as it fed into a larger body of water – not so big as the lake, but big enough.

"The Moonpool's in a hollow just below," Kestrelpaw offered. "There's a path just next to you that leads down. The water looks so beautiful!"

"I'm glad it's thawed," Barkface grunted. "Come."

Robinpaw followed Barkface's scent down into the hollow that Kestrelpaw had described. Its walls weren't nearly as tall as the walls were back at the camp, and Robinpaw felt chilly air brushing the tips of his ears. Robinpaw's paws slipped easily into the pockmarked ground, and he shivered as his paws fit perfectly into the prints on the ground.

_What is this place?_ He wondered. His heart began to beat a little faster as he realized suddenly that he wasn't so alone.

"Spirits of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice," Barkface called out solemnly. "Show him your ways – teach him well, so that he may use your wisdom in service to his Clan. Robinpaw – drink from the pool."

Robinpaw could hear the water lapping close to his paws. He bent down cautiously, crouching before the pool. He took a sniff, smelling freshness and starlight – for a brief moment, sight flickered in his eyes. A thrill of excitement and power rushed through him, and he did not hesitate to shut his eyes and take a sip of the cool, clean water.

His eyes flew open and before them he saw a dazzling sky full of stars, their light rivaling the full moon hanging in the sky. The sight took his breath away – such a beautiful night, and such colors! This was nothing like the forest that he visited Silverhawk in, or the moorland he had pulled Owlwhisker away from.

The ground beneath his paws was shimmering with starry grassy, long and soft and waving. Trees swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves glimmering shapes of light and beauty. Robinpaw was speechless.

_This is StarClan!_ He realized. There was no doubt.

"Welcome," purred a voice.

Robinpaw blinked, looking towards the source of the voice. Through the trees padded a powerful-looking tom, his pelt the color of flame. His eyes were the green of the grass and the leaves, and his pelt sparkled with starlight. Robinpaw blinked in awe.

"Firestar!" he breathed, his heart quickening.

Firestar dipped his head. "Yes," he meowed. "It is I."

Robinpaw's head swirled with questions and wonders. This cat was nothing short of a legend, and his death had been the tragedy that had sparked the war between LionClan and TigerClan. Robinpaw felt start-struck, his heart fluttering – this cat could tell him that the sky was blue and he'd be impressed.

Firestar took a step forward. "Welcome to StarClan, Robinpaw," he meowed. His tone seemed sad, solemn. Robinpaw wondered why. "I am glad that you are seeing it for yourself."

_But I see it all the time,_ Robinpaw thought. _Surely you know that?_ He stayed silent. It would be nothing but rude to interrupt Firestar and his message.

"Tallstar told you of the path you walk," Firestar meowed.

This time Robinpaw piped up, wanting to show Firestar that he had paid attention: _"Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red; there are three, kin of his kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws."_

Firestar blinked. "Exactly," he stated. "And have you figured out what these messages mean?"

Robinpaw shook his head. Though they had lingered in his mind ever since that dream, Robinpaw had been too busy with the battle and Silverhawk's training to ponder them.

Firestar meowed, "The Three, Robinpaw – the Three are the kin of _my_ kin."

"Your kin?" Robinpaw breathed. It only took him a moment to realize what he meant. "Then that means -"

"Yes – that means that you, Spottedpaw, and Lionpaw are the Three," Firestar replied. "You hold the power of the stars in your paws, power enough to defeat TigerClan and save the lake… but do you remember the rest of what Tallstar told you?"

Robinpaw kneaded his paws. He was just starting to get answers, and now he wanted _more?_

"He said I walk a dark path," Robinpaw replied. "And that if one of the three should fail, all will perish beneath the tiger's claws."

Firestar nodded. "Do you know what that means?" he asked.

"If one of us dies, we all die?"

Firestar shook his head. "Not so simple as that, I'm afraid," he replied. "If one of the Three should fall to darkness, the hope that LionClan has will die. TigerClan will win."

"But what does it mean to fall into darkness?" Robinpaw asked.

Firestar locked eyes with the apprentice. "You know better than most what darkness I speak of,"

"I… I don't understand," Robinpaw meowed. "Please, explain! The only darkness I've ever known is my blindness."

But Firestar was beginning to fade.

"Wait, please!" Robinpaw exclaimed. "Don't leave yet!"

Firestar disappeared, but his last words drifted on the wind: _"The Three must fight, or all will fail…"_

Blood welled up from the ground, as if some unnatural spring had just popped into existence where Firestar had been standing. The blood welled up and up, the pool growing larger and larger. Robinpaw felt suffocated by the stench as it lapped at his paws, pulled at his fur, and rose up and up until it was as deep as the lake and Robinpaw was swept under.

Robinpaw flailed his paws, kicking for the surface. His head broke through the tide of blood, gasping for air. The blood continued to rise, filling his mouth and welling up in his nose. Robinpaw coughed, spluttering, beseeching the stars for help.

Three stars glowed brighter than all the rest, and they did nothing. As the blood covered Robinpaw in darkness, each star winked out, one by one.

The last turned dark when Robinpaw was consumed.


	18. Chapter 16

**Here it is – the doozy.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_The crickets were quiet this night. The_ half-moon hung in the sky, and Starling wondered what sort of strange haze was surrounding it. Stars twinkled in the sky, though they didn't seem as bright this night as they did every other night – it seemed like there were fewer stars, in fact.

Chill pierced Starling's thinning coat, and she shivered. "Does he always hold these ceremonies at night?" she wondered to Squirrelflight, who was padding out of their prison behind her.

Squirrelflight grunted, "Under the light of the half-moon, yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's a mockery," Squirrelflight grumbled.

Starling stiffened. Squirrelflight hadn't seemed the same since Hawkstar announced their "victory" against LionClan. Her former Clanmates' deaths had hit her hard, and Starling knew that Squirrelflight was trying her best to seem strong. It was hard when Hawkstar and TigerClan seemed to do nothing but casually talk about the battle whenever Squirrelflight drew near.

_She's not the only one who's getting annoyed,_ Starling admitted to herself. She and Squirrelflight settled at the front of the crowd, near Hawkstar. Their guards were on either side, but Starling could tell they were more focused on what was about to happen in the clearing before them. With a glance, Starling knew that they were under the pale, watchful gaze of Ashfur.

Hawkstar's insistence that Starling join TigerClan was beginning to increase – it started with the walk, just after his announcement of the battle and the arranged pairing system. On that walk, Hawkstar had talked about the latter part of the meeting – he had even asked Starling for advice:

"I think it's madness," Starling had admitted, having been given permission to speak freely. They had been walking beside the lake, and Hawkstar was looking at her with those icy eyes of his. "Cats should be able to choose whom they love; they shouldn't have it decided for them."

"I'm not deciding who they _love,"_ Hawkstar had pointed out. "I'm doing this for the good of TigerClan – we need more warriors, and the only way that will happen is if there are more kits to go around. Courtship takes too long – this is a necessary thing."

Starling had been baffled – but some part of her had realized that he was only trying to do what was best for his Clan. He wanted to win the war as much as LionClan, after all, even if he was on the wrong side.

Hawkstar had shook his head after that. "I'm not out here to debate that with you, though," he had admitted.

"What are we out here for, then?" Starling had asked. "It's a little improper for a leader to walk with his prisoner."

Hawkstar hadn't replied for a moment. Then, he had said, "I had only wanted to walk with you; learn a bit about you. I know Squirrelflight's been filling your head with stories… maybe I could tell you my side of them?"

Starling had left that encounter completely confused.

Now she sat here, in the cloudy half-moon light, watching the warriors of TigerClan gather around the clearing in a large circle. Their arrangement left a lot of room in the clearing – almost all of it – and the warriors didn't seem too eager to leave their places. The moonlight bathed the empty space, and to Starling it seemed to shimmer with a nasty heat.

"What's going on?" Starling wondered.

"It's the warrior trial," Squirrelflight sighed in reply. She settled herself more comfortably, fluffy tail curled around her paws. "Get comfortable – this can take all night."

Starling settled herself beside Squirrelflight, feeling the chills running up and down the ginger she-cat's body. Starling pressed close to the warrior, hoping to warm her up, as Starling observed TigerClan. Most of the warriors had fresh-kill at their paws, but they weren't eating – they were simply shuffling, chatting impatiently.

She watched some warriors push pieces of prey into a pile, grinning. Form the words mouthed, Starling lashed her tail.

_Are they _betting _on something here?_ She wondered.

"I thought you said that apprentices became warriors through ceremonies, not trials," Starling hissed to Squirrelflight. "What's going on here? Where are the apprentices?"

"You'll see," Squirrelflight replied. Starling could feel her friend stiffening, bristling, beside her. Starling flicked her tail and gently rasped her tongue along Squirrelflight's upraised fur.

TigerClan grew quiet as Hawkstar drew out of the hollow log where he made his den. Russetfur and Blackclaw dipped their heads as he passed, but Ashfur simply blinked and did nothing more. Hawkstar didn't seem bothered – he leaped onto the log and, with the willows rustling, began to speak:

"Cats of TigerClan, tonight is the half-moon!" he called. "Tonight is the night for the warrior's trial!"

TigerClan jostled all around the edges of the clearing, cheering. Hawkstar raised his tail, and they fell silent.

"Before we begin, I have a minor announcement to make," Hawkstar meowed. "The pairings have been decided!"

The Clan shifted, but plenty of cheers came up from Hawkstar's loyalists. Starling flicked an ear.

"Graymist will be paired with Beechfur," Hawkstar announced, "and Oakfur shall be paired with Icewing!"

Starling pricked her ears, picking out the warriors spoken of in the crowd. Graymist looked pleased that she had been announced first – after all, she had been the first to voice her approval of the system. Nearby, Beechfur was shifting on his paws awkwardly. Oakfur and Icewing happened to be sitting together before the announcement – now the older warrior looked away in embarrassment as Icewing's pelt rose.

"Congratulations!" Hawkstar meowed. "TigerClan looks forward to new arrivals come leaf-fall, and new warriors for next newleaf!"

The Clan eventually quieted down. Cats were looking at Hawkstar eagerly, and Starling could feel the excitement in the air. It made her pelt bristle as the shimmering air in the clearing was beginning to… _solidify._

First came the mist – it crawled in between the paws of the cats gathered around the clearing. Then, it grew and grew, solidifying into solid shapes of cats Starling didn't recognize. The half-moonlight shone through some of these cats completely, and their eyes gleamed with malice. Most of them, as see -though was water on air, rippled away to join the rest of the crowd, greeted by TigerClan as fellow warriors.

Two stayed in the clearing, more solid and complete than the others – one was a calico she-cat with a distinctive ginger tail and a scarred face; the other was a mottled brown tabby she-cat, her eyes gleaming in the dark. Both she-cats had scarred muzzles and bore the marks of a difficult life in their matted pelts.

Hawkstar looked upon them with admiration as he dipped his head. "Mapleshade, Sparrowfeather – welcome!" he purred.

"Get on with it, Hawkstar," Mapleshade growled. The calico dug her claws into the earth as her shape rippled. "We don't have all night for your _announcements."_

Sparrowfeather purred, tail flicking, at Mapleshade's mocking tone.

Starling felt Squirrelflight stiffen.

"What's going on?" Starling hissed. "Who are these cats?"

"Dark warriors," Squirrelflight told her quietly. "Dark, _dark,_ warriors – they train TigerClan apprentices in their dreams and then assess them every other half-moon to see who is worthy of being made a warrior."

Starling blinked. She had heard of StarClan, and she had heard of these dark warriors – that creature had told her this much - but she hadn't foreseen something like this. She watched as Mapleshade, tail lashing, began pacing around the clearing.

"Where are those puny excuses for warriors?" she taunted. "Bring them out! I smell their fear."

Hawkstar flicked his tail. "Apprentices – come forth!" he called.

The crowd shifted as a line of apprentices padded forward. Their paws were nervous, their steps shaking, but they faced their trial head-on. Starling blinked, realizing that every TigerClan apprentices was present here tonight – not just those who fought in the battle.

In a line, the apprentices stopped in the middle of the clearing. Mapleshade stopped her pacing, and she eyed them all with burning amber eyes. Sparrowfeather got to her paws and began sniffing each one as if they were a piece of prey.

"Every apprentice has a chance to earn their warrior name tonight!" Hawkstar called. "But, as I promised, those who participated in the battle will have their chance before the others. Toadpaw! Applepaw! Dapplepaw!"

At the sound of their names, the three apprentices curried forward. Toadpaw and Applepaw managed to not screw it up – but Dapplepaw stumbled over her paws and fell onto the ground, planting her face in the clearing as she nearly hit Sparrowfeather.

"I smell _fear!"_ Mapleshade hissed. The calico's scarred head swung around, and she made a beeline for Dapplepaw. She thrust her muzzle into Dapplepaw's face and screeched, claws unsheathed, "Get _up,_ you useless lump!"

Dapplepaw let out a shriek and scurried to her paws, tail fluffed out. Fear-scent clouded the air, and the other apprentices stepped away from Dapplepaw, as if they didn't want to be associated with her.

"I will not asses an apprentice who stinks of _fear,"_ Mapleshade snarled. "Get _back_ in line!"

Dapplepaw cringed and turned back, settling down at her former place. The other apprentices still in line kept their distance, but a few were bristling. The fear-scent grew stronger.

"I smell more fear," Sparrowfeather chuckled. "Who else stinks, Mapleshade?"

Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. With one ragged claw, she pointed them out – Minnowpaw, Pouncepaw, Owlpaw, and Pebblepaw. "Come back when you don't reek of fear," Mapleshade hissed. "Weaklings!"

Starling watched, heart aching, as these cats' eyes reflected their fear and sorrow.

"Ivypaw, you're up," Sparrowfeather called. "Stand with Toadpaw and Applepaw."

The dappled she-cat raised her tail and head and strode forward. She sat beside Toadpaw and Applepaw, and the two siblings seemed proud to have her be there.

"The rest of you will watch as these three show you what a real warrior is made of," Mapleshade growled. "Cowards!"

The two she-cats began pacing circled around the chosen three apprentices. Starling watched in horror as some warriors in the crowd sighed, rolling their eyes as they pushed their fresh-kill towards another – a bet lost. The shimmering, dark warriors were chuckling.

"What should the terms be this time?" Sparrowfeather wondered.

"A single scratch on me gives an apprentice their name," Mapleshade decided. Her eyes flashed to Sparrowfeather. "You will take two scratches, I think."

Starling bristled, and Squirrelflight shivered.

"I'll take Ivypaw," Sparrowfeather decided, poking the calico apprentice with a claw. "She's younger, but she's tough. Snowtuft says she's been learning well."

"Then I'll take Toadpaw and Applepaw," Mapleshade decided.

"B-Both of us?" Toadpaw sputtered. Applepaw glared at him, and he clamped his mouth shut.

Mapleshade stopped pacing. She thrust her muzzle close to Toadpaw, and Starling could sense that her breath was nothing but lovely as she hissed, "Is that a _problem?"_

Toadpaw shook his head, swallowing, "No! Not at all!"

Mapleshade gave a crooked grin.

"Are these terms to your liking, Hawkstar?" Sparrowfeather asked, turning her head to look at Hawkstar as he sat perched upon the log.

"Of course," Hawkstar purred. "Go on, go on!"

Starling felt a sick feeling well up in her stomach as the two dark warriors took their targets to opposite sides of the clearing.

Mapleshade stood tall and confident, even as Toadpaw and Applepaw immediately began circling her. The siblings' eyes would flash to one another, and Starling sensed that they were planning a dual maneuver on the older she-cat.

Ivypaw's inexperience showed as she leaped onto Sparrowfeather, making the first move. Sparrowfeather dodged her opponent easily with a spring so high is rivaled a rabbit's jump. Sparrowfeather landed behind Ivypaw and raked the apprentice's flanks with her claws. Ivypaw let out a screech.

Toadpaw and Applepaw moved – both at once, like snakes in the grass. They shot at Mapleshade from opposite angles, but Mapleshade was ready. She gave a hop – just a tiny hop – as the two apprentices threatened to collide with her. Claws unsheathed, she managed to give them both a nasty scratch, sending them darting back.

"You'll have to do better!" crowed Mapleshade.

"Get her on her belly, Ivypaw!" called Rowanclaw.

"Slice her face!" called Oakfur. "You can do it, Toadpaw!"

"Applepaw! Applepaw!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Starling flattened her ears to her head as the fights wore on. Mapleshade was holding her own between Toadpaw and Applepaw, not a scratch on her. Ivypaw managed to get one of two scratches on Sparrowfeather, but the dark she-cat was making it more than difficult for Ivypaw to get another.

With the crowd spurring them on, the apprentices were doing more and more difficult maneuvers. Leaps, twists, claw swipes – moves that Starling hadn't realized a cat could do.

Ivypaw managed to get Sparrowfeather to her belly and score her claws down the older she-cat's spine until Sparrowfeather screeched. Ivypaw stood atop her opponent with pride gleaming in her eyes.

"That's two!" the crowd called. "Ivypaw! Ivypaw! Ivypaw!"

Mapleshade quickly took over the clearing as Sparrowfeather and Ivypaw took to the edge of the crowd. The older she-cat was dodging and weaving, bobbing and ducking – completely avoiding every attempt Applepaw and Toadpaw made to get that one scratch.

_You're working together too much!_ Starling longed to cry. _It's too easy for her to foresee your movements!_

Toadpaw's eyes flashed, and Applepaw let out a shriek of surprise as he pushed his sister out of the way to lunge at Maplepaw himself. It was as if he'd heard Starling's thoughts, and Mapleshade grinned as he scored his claws down her flanks. Mapleshade hissed through her grin and slashed at Toadpaw's side in retaliation.

"Good!" she purred.

"Toadpaw! Toadpaw! Toadpaw!" the crowd cheered. Prey was flying as the warriors made their bets.

"Now for you, little apprentice," Mapleshade grinned, eyes gleaming.

Applepaw looked at Toadpaw, her eyes wide with worry at her panting, bleeding brother.

"_Pay attention to me!"_ shrieked Mapleshade. Claws flashed, and Applepaw went flying. Cats scattered to get out of her way as Applepaw skidded to a stop at the edge of the crowd, blood clotting on an ear.

Mapleshade hissed, "In the end, you must rely on _you_ to win! You can't trust another!"

Applepaw was struggling to get to her paws.

Starling stiffened.

"Starling…" Squirrelflight rasped. "No; don't!"

"Get away from me!" Applepaw screeched. The she-cat got to her paws and thrust her muzzle right into Mapleshade's face. "I hate you, you ugly mange-ball!"

Mapleshade bristled. The crowd went quiet.

Starling tightened her muscles.

Applepaw lashed out with her claws, catching Mapleshade off-guard. The apprentice's claws scored down Mapleshade's face, and blood spattered the clearing.

The crowd erupted into roars of cheering.

Mapleshade staggered to her paws.

"Applepaw! Applepaw! Applepaw!"

Mapelshade narrowed her eyes. "Why you ungrateful little…" she hissed.

Applepaw's eyes widened.

Mapleshade sprang.

Starling's paws seemed to grow wings as she sprang over Squirrelflight and sprinted across the clearing. Wind roared and howled in her ears as she grabbed Mapleshade out of the air and tossed the stinking she-cat to the ground.

It was a whirl of teeth and claws as Mapleshade writhed with searing anger. Starling dug her claws into Mapleshade's pelt and clamped her teeth into one of her legs. The crowd was shouting and yowling in confusion and excitement – new bets were being made with every move the two she-cats made.

Mapleshade scored her claws down Starling's face, and Starling let go of Mapleshade's mangy leg to keep her eyes from being scratched out. Mapleshade took advantage of this and flipped Starling onto her belly.

Starling pummeled Mapleshade with her hind paws, tearing out clumps of fur desperately as Mapleshade tried lunging for Starling's throat. Mapleshade made one great heave, and Starling, in a flash, reached up and gripped Mapleshade's neck in her claws.

When Mapleshade brought her head down, Starling pushed her to the side – Mapleshade slammed her face into the dirt, and Starling pushed out with her hind paws. Mapleshade was off of Starling in a flash, dazed and bleeding in the dirt.

Starling stood up, and the crowd went quiet.

Panting, Starling looked around. The cats of TigerClan were looking at her with admiration, confusion, and excitement in her eyes. Starling caught Squirrelflight's eye, and saw only horror.

"Starling!" called a cat.

It was Applepaw.

"Starling!" called another.

Oakfur.

"Starling!"

"Starling!"

"Starling!" called Hawkstar.

With his approval, the Clan erupted into cheers.

"_Starling! Starling! Starling!"_

Starling blinked in confusion, looking from Squirrelflight to Hawkstar. His eyes, ice-blue, were bursting with approval, and Starling felt her pelt prickle. His knowing smirk, that gleam in his eye…

_Oh, no…_

Hawkstar leaped down from the log. He padded forward and touched his nose to Starling's.

"One scratch," he chuckled, quietly. "You don't have a choice now, Starling – but you'll have to pull it off again to earn your warrior name."

Starling felt the world whirl around her. _No! I hadn't intended this! I had only wanted to save Applepaw!_

"From this moment forward," Hawkstar called above the din of rising voices, "this apprentice shall be known as _Starlingpaw!"_

"_Starlingpaw! Starlingpaw! Starlingpaw!"_

Hawkstar narrowed his eyes. Starlingpaw met his eyes, and she thought she saw a flash of sympathy there. He grinned.

_Midnight; was this in your plan for me?_

_Is this how you wanted it to be?_

"Welcome to TigerClan, Starlingpaw," Hawkstar purred. "I look forward to your training."


	19. Chapter 17

**I'm glad you all liked that last chapter! These next two are shorter - not only that, but the new installment of _Tinystar's Beginning_ will be coming out shortly after this chapter goes up. Keep a lookout!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

_Spottedpaw's dreams were filled with shadows._

"Save us!" they called. "Help us!"

"I can't!" Spottedpaw called back. She was standing in a clearing shrouded in shadow, clouded over with misery and anguish. She could see shapes flitting about in the clouds, images of fighting cats as they rolled and tumbled through their fighting stances. Blood splashed through the air and screeches were caught in the night.

"Help us!" they called.

"Save us!"

"I'm sorry!" Spottedpaw cried, her legs trembling in grief. "I'm so, so sorry!"

The sounds increased in ferocity, in closeness. Brackenfur's howl of pain sounded right in Spottedpaw's ear, and she crouched to the ground in terror.

"Please…" she whimpered. "Please, make it stop…"

She felt pelts brushing against her, and Spottedpaw flinched, eyes shut tight.

"StarClan, please…"

"Be calm, Spottedpaw," murmured a voice. "We are here."

Spottedpaw opened her eyes and jumped in shock.

The shadows were gone – starlight had pushed them away like leaves in the wind. All that remained was a dazzling moonlit forest. The trees rustled with a warm breeze, and all around Spottedpaw were dozens and dozens of starry cats. They clustered about, eyes warm and welcoming, blinking at her in sympathy and in admiration.

Before her stood a she-cat with a blue-gray pelt, her muzzle wizened with silver. Her blue eyes shone down on Spottedpaw.

"We are watching you, Spottedpaw," the blue-gray she-cat promised.

Spottedpaw took a step back, mouth dry. "You…" she rasped. "I've heard stories about you – you're Bluestar!"

Bluestar dipped her head. "I am," she answered.

Spottedpaw looked around at all the other cats, feeling a humbling wave wash over her. She lowered her tail and breathed, "Wow…"

"We are here to tell you that you have a great destiny," rumbled a massive golden-brown warrior. His thick ruff reminded Spottedpaw of Lionpaw.

"A… destiny?" Spottedpaw repeated.

"Look up, Spottedpaw," Bluestar requested.

Spottedpaw obeyed. Above, the stars shone far closer than they did in the waking world. Silverpelt glimmered all around – but three stars glowed brighter, far brighter than any. Their glow rivaled the moon.

"_There will be three, kin of his kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws,"_ meowed the starry cats around them.

Spottedpaw drew her eyes back down to the starry cats. They chorused the words all around her, and hearing them, over and over, gave her chills – but she could feel it tingling in her paws.

"I'm one of them?" Spottedpaw wondered.

Bluestar nodded.

"Then Lionpaw and Robinpaw must be the others," Spottedpaw realized. She pricked her ears. "We have the power of the stars in our paws! But… what does that mean, Bluestar?"

"We do not know," Bluestar admitted. "But your powers are beginning to show themselves. We of StarClan know that it is possible for the Three to fail… we daren't take the chance of it happening. This is why we have decided to tell you as well."

Spottedpaw sighed. "But Bluestar… we are as separated as ever," she lamented. "I'm in the moorland now, and Robinpaw is…"

"We are aware of Robinpaw," the golden-brown warrior meowed. His eyes were sad. "But his fate is in his own paws now – we have done all that we can."

Spottedpaw flicked her tail. A long-hidden question bubbled up inside of her. "Why is he blind?" she asked. "Why did you strike him blind?"

The warriors of StarClan flinched away from her question. They blinked at her in shock and… was that _fear?_ Spottedpaw felt slightly disturbed. _Do StarClan fear me?_

"We did not strike him blind," Bluestar replied sympathetically. "We of StarClan do not inflict such things onto those we watch over. Every cat has a chance at being born blind, or deaf, or even silent… some more than others. Robinpaw's sight was simply a stroke of… bad luck."

Spottedpaw frowned.

"It is not because we wished to punish Leafpool, or him," Bluestar went on. "Such disfigurements are truly out of our control. Robinpaw's fate, however, is in his control… and the fate of LionClan is in yours."

Spottedpaw's eyes widened.

The starry cats were beginning to fade, and Spottedpaw was not ready for the dream to be over. _The fate of LionClan? In _my_ paws?_

"Please, tell me more!" Spottedpaw demanded. "Please!"

She chased them – each little light – until the last, Bluestar, was all that remained. Spottedpaw turned and impeached her, mouth open – _"Please!"_ – but Bluestar only blinked and then disappeared.

"No!" Spottedpaw cried. She pounced, her paws landing where Bluestar had been just a moment before. The mist closed in, and Spottedpaw felt herself falling into darkness.

* * *

"Spottedpaw?"

Spottedpaw eyes flew open.

"Are you all right?" Berryfrost hissed.

Night air filtered in through the burrow that was a den in the former WindClan camp. This had been the apprentice's den, according to Whitetail, and most of the replacement party were resting in them until those who would be returning to the stone hollow left. Spottedpaw had offered to take the den, simply for the privacy – Berryfrost had come in as well, with Hazeltail – but the moon was still up and Spottedpaw could not hear any cat having woken.

"I'm fine," Spottedpaw replied. A quick sniff told her that Hazeltail was gone, too. "Where are you going?"

Berryfrost's shoulder fur was bristling, highlighted in the light of the half-moon. He grumbled, "None of your business."

Spottedpaw flattened her ears. Her dream faded like mist as she hissed, "It's my business when a warrior looks to be sneaking away from his duties!"

Berryfrost's ears pricked. "No, no!" he insisted. "Please, don't tell."

Spottedpaw blinked at him and then asked, "Then tell me what you're up to."

"Hazeltail and I are going to see Smoky," Berryfrost confessed. "I know Brightheart promised to take us, but I know she'll just make up and excuse or something so that we have to stay. He has to know about Mouseflight – he's our father! Maybe… maybe we can get him to leave this place, too."

"Leave?"

Berryfrost nodded. "I don't want TigerClan killing him – it's bad enough I have to worry about Mother."

Spottedpaw blinked at him sympathetically.

"Mouseflight died because I couldn't help him," Berryfrost murmured. "I don't want to lose any more of my family."

"It's OK," Spottedpaw assured him. "I… I understand."

Berryfrost's eyes flashed in the half-light.

"I miss Brackenfur _so_ much… he was like a big brother," Spottedpaw told him. "I wish… I wish I could have been there to help."

"Thank you," Berryfrost purred. He touched his nose to her forehead. Spottedpaw felt her fur tingle a little at the contact – how had Berryfrost gone from being an arrogant puffball to this? If losing a sibling caused a cat to change this much, then Spottedpaw was even more sure she didn't want to lose Lionpaw or Robinpaw. She didn't want that pain.

_And now there's this… prophecy._

"I'll be back before sunhigh," Berryfrost promised. "Just… tell Dustpelt we went hunting, or something."

Spottedpaw shook her head and said quickly, "No – wait!"

"What?"

"I'm coming with you," Spottedpaw insisted.

Berryfrost narrowed his eyes. "Why?" he wondered.

Spottedpaw scrambled for an excuse: "Because there could be an ambush patrol waiting for you out there," she insisted. "TigerClan has done it once… they might do it again." _I don't want him knowing that I don't want to be alone with my thoughts,_ Spottedpaw thought. _They've been so dark lately…_

Berryfrost blinked, and then he lashed his stump of a tail. "Fine; but don't get us caught," he decided.

Spottedpaw watched Berryfrost push through the earthen tunnel. Spottedpaw followed, grimacing at the way the earth scraped her back. WindClan-built cats were smaller than those built like ThunderClan warriors, and she already missed the leafy roof of the apprentice's den back in the hollow.

"What's _she_ doing with us?" Hazeltail hissed, lashing her tail. She was waiting, crouched, just up the slope.

"Just go with it," Berryfrost hissed back.

Hazeltail rolled her eyes. "I _can't_ believe you're risking our flanks because of some cat you're moony over," she growled.

Berryfrost's fur fluffed up, but he said nothing. Spottedpaw looked away, fur warming.

"Let's go," Berryfrost growled finally, "before your complaining wakes the whole camp!"

Hazeltail rolled her eyes again and darted off, up the hill. Berryfrost followed, his muscles rippling beneath his moon-touched pelt. Spottedpaw forced herself to look away from him, keeping her eyes on her paws as she trotted up the steep hill.

Her paws tingled as they crept away, towards the glowing lights of the Horseplace.


	20. Chapter 18

**Actually the reason why these this past chapter and this one are shorter is because it would have been awkward for me to write them conjoined into one chapter. I try to keep the chapters a little longer but I'm not going to drag them beyond the content they need to have in them. The next chapter is longer.**

**I'm sorry you don't like Starlingpaw; but she's a main character and important to the story so her PoV isn't going away. Squirrelflight PoV chapters will be coming soon, along with Hawkstar ones. I've got a lot on my plate and I need to sort out the plot of this story. Doesn't help when I've got other plots for other stories in my head.**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

_The lights of the Horseplace dappled_ Spottedpaw's pelt as she followed Berryfrost and Hazeltail along the shiny Twoleg fence that made the farm's border. She was straining her ears, trying her best to sense whether or not there were enemies within, but the smells of horse dirt was powerful near the barn.

Berryfrost and Hazeltail traveled confidently along the fence, tails up. Hazeltail was sniffing at the bottom of the fence, testing the ground with her paws occasionally. Spottedpaw understood that there was a gap in the fence and it needed to be found before dawn broke and the cats in the hills knew they were gone.

Sure enough, the smell of cat infiltrated Spottedpaw nose. Hazeltail let out a gasp of triumph, and suddenly she was wiggling beneath the fence. Spottedpaw curled her lip – it looked painful having the shiny tendrils digging into Hazeltail's pelt, but the gray-and-white she-cat didn't seem to care.

"You go," Berryfrost said when Hazeltail was through. "I'm the biggest of us three, and I'll take longer to get through."

Spottedpaw nodded, not bothering to argue. She pressed her belly against the ground, breathing in the scent of unfamiliar cats as she pushed through the hole in the fence. She felt the shiny points digging into her pelt, and her eyes stung as she dragged herself forward.

Berryfrost came last, pushing through with his broad shoulders as Spottedpaw was licking the raw patches on her back and shoulders. Berryfrost managed to leave a large clump of fur behind, and he hissed in discomfort.

He led the way towards the barn, Spottedpaw and Hazeltail trailing after him. Spottedpaw looked about – the fenced-in territory was large and barren, not as big as LionClan territory but large enough for something like a horse to run about in. There were several other sections of land divided with the fence-stuff, and Spottedpaw wondered if multiple Twolegs shared territory here even though there was only one den.

They walked along the edges of the barn as the sun began to creep over the trees, throwing orange-yellow light over the landscape. The grass sparkled with dew, long and healthy, and it soothed Spottedpaw's pads.

"Halt!"

The group did so, stopping in their tracks just as they were about to come around the corner of the barn. A cat stepped forward, his body plump but muscular. His shoulder bore a single scar, and his gray-and-white pelt brightened in the sunshine. His eyes narrowed at the intruders.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Smoky!" Hazeltail purred. "Don't you remember us?"

Smoky narrowed his eyes more, looking at Berryfrost and Hazeltail. Then, his tail shot up and a purr erupted from his chest. "Kits!" he exclaimed. "I hadn't expected to see you again…"

Berryfrost and Hazeltail purred themselves, pressing up against their father. They twined tails and touched noses, rubbing along their father. Spottedpaw shifted awkwardly on her paws.

"Where's Mouse?" Smoky asked. "Didn't he come too?"

Berryfrost and Hazeltail glanced at one another, and then at their father.

"That's what we came here to tell you, Father," Berryfrost mewed.

Smoky tilted his head, confused at his son's severe tone. Then, he flicked his tail at the barn. "Let's get inside before the Nofur's come out. We'll get you fed and you can tell me what's happened."

* * *

Spottedpaw winced at the feel of the wooden floor of the barn against her paws. Berryfrost, Smoky, and Hazeltail seemed unaffected by the change, and Spottedpaw raised her head, determined to show she wasn't afraid of the large Twoleg structure.

It was spacious and open, with hay piled at almost every corner and the smell of it was everywhere. Spottedpaw's mouth watered as she smelled mouse, drawing it over her scent glands. _Would Brightheart be upset with me if I took a mouse for myself?_

Spottedpaw smelled the air more, filtering the scents, and realized that Smoky was not the only cat here – there were more than one, at least three, and none of their scents were any she knew.

"We have some guests," Smoky meowed. "Travelers. They won't bother us."

Smoky led them to a comfortable pile of hay. They settled themselves within the golden strands - Spottedpaw found it hardest to get comfortable. There always seemed to be a piece of hay poking her somewhere. Berryfrost and Hazeltail huddled together, drawing strength from one another.

"So, tell me what's happened," Smoky rumbled, tucking his paws beneath him.

"We've become warriors," Hazeltail began. "I'm Hazeltail now and his new name is Berryfrost."

Smoky tipped his head at the odd names, but his eyes sparkled with pride. "And Mouse?" he wondered.

"Mouse is Mouseflight," Berryfrost answered. "But… Father, Mouseflight is dead."

Smoky's eyes widened, and he said nothing. Spottedpaw couldn't imagine the grief he was feeling.

"There was a battle with TigerClan," Hazeltail went on. "Mouseflight got dragged away by some warriors and we couldn't get to him in time. We're sorry."

Smoky's eyes were full of sorrow. "I suppose you did the best you could," he mumbled. Smoky shifted in his makeshift nest. "You two are all right though, right?"

Berryfrost and Hazeltail nodded.

"And LionClan? Daisy?"

"LionClan's doing OK," Berryfrost replied. "And so is Daisy. She's doing her best learning how to protect the kits. LionClan lost a deputy, but we're moving on, strong as before."

"I see," Smoky rumbled. "I don't claim to know much of anything about these Clans of yours, but I do like to know what might affect our safety here. I appreciate you letting me know what's going on – I've been passing the news on to any cat that passes through, just like Onestar suggested I do."

"We can take you to see where Mouseflight is buried, if you want," Hazeltail offered.

"No, no," Smoky flicked his tail dismissively. "It's not my place. My place is here – I don't want to risk my life just to see my son. I know he's safe wherever he is now. I'll use my time worrying about you two now."

Dawn light was filtering through the windows of the barn. Spottedpaw shivered as it warmed her pelt.

"Hunt if you want, or wait for the Nofurs," Smoky decided. "You can stay as long as you like."

"Thank you," purred Berryfrost.

"Of course," Smoky mewed back. "Just leave some for our guests."

"Who are they?" Spottedpaw wondered. "Your guests?"

"Travelers," Smoky meowed. "From far-off, by the smell of them. One of them's hurt, so they're staying until they get their strength back."

"Well, we won't disturb them," Berryfrost decided. "Dustpelt will have our pelts if we're not back soon – if he won't have them anyway."

There was a creak in the floor high up above. Spottedpaw looked up, and she saw a shape moving in the loft. He was bulky and gray, and it looked like he had eaten well. He leaned heavily on one paw, and his yellow eyes gleamed with interest. A dark stripe ran down his spine.

"Excuse me," the stranger rasped. "Did you say Dustpelt?"

"Yes," Berryfrost replied, turning to look at the stranger. "He's a warrior of our Clan."

"I know who Dustpelt is," the stranger scoffed. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't hearing things. I haven't heard a Clan name since Smoky told me what's going on with LionClan and TigerClan – at least, his understanding of it."

"Who are you?" Hazeltail asked. Spottedpaw looked up at the stranger, confused – how could he know about Dustpelt and the Clans?

"I'm Graystripe," the long-haired tom replied. "A warrior of ThunderClan."


	21. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"_Starlingpaw, wake up – it's time for _training!"

Starlingpaw raised her head from her nest. Bleary-eyed, she squinted as sunhigh light blazed through the apprentice's den of TigerClan. She trembled with a sigh, her mouth feeling foul and dry – her dreams had been troubled by dark images slashing and biting over a field of red.

"Starlingpaw!" called the voice again. "Get up, you lump. You're a TigerClan apprentice now!"

_So it wasn't a dream,_ Starlingpaw thought resignedly. She wished it had been.

She picked herself up out of her nest, her body much bigger than that of a normal apprentice's. She grimaced as the roof of the den prickled at her back. The other apprentices were long gone – with a glance, Starlingpaw realized that none of them had slept well. There was blood in a nest that smelled like Dapplepaw, along with tufts of her mottled pelt.

Starlingpaw shivered – had Dapplepaw been punished by Mapleshade for fearing her trial?

"Starlingpaw!" came the voice again. Anger laced it now. "Now!"

Starlingpaw sighed and pushed her way out of the den and into the sunshine.

It was strange waking up from this part of the camp – everything seemed so different at this angle. Just across from her was the elder's den, and just next to the apprentice's den was the warrior's den. The leader's den, the hollow log, along with the willow prison, was at the back end of the camp.

Starlingpaw glanced at the prison, feeling the ground lurch beneath her paws. She could see the fluffy tuft of Squirrelflight's tail just inside, alone in the dark. Starlingpaw's heart ached for her friend. _I hope you don't think I abandoned you on purpose…_

_I didn't want this._

"Good; you're awake," sighed the warrior who had woken her. It was Rowanclaw, whose slimmer, smaller build betrayed his ShadowClan origins. "Hawkstar was looking for you – meet him by his den. Best get going – and don't sleep in until sunhigh next time."

Starlingpaw let out an awkward murmur of assent, and Rowanclaw headed off towards the entrance of the camp.

As Starlingpaw crossed the clearing, she could feel the awkward looks she was getting from the TigerClan cats. They didn't seem to know how to behave around her now that she was an actual TigerClan cat and not a prisoner. Some threw her looks of venom, others confusion.

There didn't seem to be any cat happy to see her except Applenose – the young apprentice had received her warrior name just before the trial ended alongside her brother Toadpelt and their denmate Ivydapple. Only Applenose gave Starlingpaw a nod, gratitude gleaming in her eyes.

_Mapleshade would have killed you,_ Starlingpaw thought, nodding back. _I couldn't have let it happen._

Applenose flicked her whiskers and turned over to lick her side. She was in camp today, recovering from the wounds Mapleshade gave her. Toadpelt and Ivydappled hadn't been so lucky, apparently – they weren't anywhere in camp that Starlingpaw could see.

_Hawkstar is waiting – no time to dawdle,_ Starlingpaw thought.

She continued on, stopping just before the hollow log where Hawkstar made his den. The big tabby was lying just outside, giving himself a late-morning wash. Remains of fresh-kill lay at his paws, and looking at it made Starlingpaw realized just how hungry she was.

Her stomach growled, and Hawkstar flicked his ear.

Hawkstar looked up from his wash. "There you are," he purred. "Next time, I expect you to be punctual."

"I'm sorry," Starlingpaw rasped. The words were stuck in her throat.

"Come, no time to waste," Hawkstar meowed. He stood up, shaking out his thick tabby coat. "No doubt you're looking forward to getting out of the camp!"

Starlingpaw said nothing as she followed him across the clearing. The warriors who weren't hunting, patrolling, or training nudge one another and gave her funny looks as she followed after Hawkstar. When she was pushing through the entrance, she was grateful that their eyes couldn't see her anymore.

Out in TigerClan territory the air was clearer. A pale sky looked down at them, with a few clouds drifting within. Sunlight warmed the earth as Starlingpaw and Hawkstar made their way down the slope and to the lake.

The lake was a sheet of still water, reflecting the sky with perfection. Starlingpaw paused at the sandy, stony, shore and took it in, reveling in its beauty.

"A still day," Hawkstar decided, sniffing the air. "Perfect for fishing."

"Fishing?" Starling repeated. Her whiskers twitched. "I don't know how to fish."

"You're learning," Hawkstar pointed out. "Come."

Hawkstar led the way to the very shore of the lake. Here the water touched Starlingpaw's paws. She dabbed at it, confused, watching the ripples spread across its still surface.

"Stop that," Hawkstar hissed. "You'll scare off the prey."

Starlingpaw put her paw back. She fidgeted nervously.

"What is it?" Hawkstar demanded. "Scared?"

Starlingpaw whipped her head towards Hawkstar. She curled her lip and growled, "I'm not used to water, that's all!" Her pelt fluffed as she recalled the endless beating of waves against a stony cliffside, each wave more powerful than the last. Pushing, pulling, sucking, threatening to put out all your lights. Starlingpaw shivered.

"TigerClan cats swim and fish," Hawkstar said pointedly. "You might as well start getting used to it."

Starlingpaw looked away from him, frowning.

"Fine," she grunted. "How do I fish?"

"I want you to position yourself so that your shadow doesn't fall over the water," Hawkstar told her.

Starlingpaw did so – it was surprisingly difficult. Her shadow was small, thanks to the sun being just overhead, but she had to maneuver in such a way that what was there wouldn't land on the water. When she was satisfied, she was facing towards Hawkstar, her side pointed towards the water.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Keep both eyes on the water," Hawkstar told her.

"The sun's glaring off of it!" Starlingpaw complained. She squinted. "I can hardly see a thing!"

"Look harder!" Hawkstar grunted. "Look at the depths, not the surface!"

Starlingpaw's neck fur rose, but she obeyed. Focusing on the darker depths put the shimmering surface out of her view. She could spot little flurries of fish flitting by.

"When you see a fish get near the surface, hook it up with your claws. Make sure you get it to land on the shore and not back in the water," Hawkstar instructed.

_I'd like to hook something with my claws, alright,_ Starlingpaw thought, unsheathing her claws.

She focused on the water instead. For each fish that flitted past had Hawkstar's face her claws itched to reach out and grab them. Only a few got anywhere close to the surface, but Starlingpaw felt that if she put her paws in without knowing the true depth of the water, she might fall in. The thought made her tremble more.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, a fish exploded near the surface. Starlingpaw let out a cry and scrambled after it with her claws, but all she caught was lakewater. Her entire front soaked, she pulled herself out of the lake, tail lashing.

"Graceful," Hawkstar chuckled.

Starlingpaw's entire spine bristled.

"OK, OK," Hawkstar sighed. "Try again."

Starlingpaw did – but her second attempt was no better than her first. Nor was her third. Or fourth. Soaked to the bone, by the fifth attempt Starlingpaw realized that she would have better luck rolling in the water on her back than trying with her claws. The ground all around her paws was muddied by her attempts, slick and stinky.

"Try again," Hawkstar said. He looked bored.

"What, so you can laugh at me more?" Starlingpaw hissed. "Have you ever even _trained_ an apprentice?"

It was Hawkstar's turn to fluff his fur.

"It's not my fault you're afraid of water!" Hawkstar spat.

Starlingpaw whirled on him, claws flashing. Hawkstar dodged her blow, tail fluffed. Starlingpaw retracted her paw, leaping back as she suddenly realized what she had done.

Breathless, she sputtered, "I'm sorry, I -"

A hind paw slipped in the muddied shore, and suddenly Starlingpaw was thrashing about in the lake.

Water sloshed in her ears, filling her mouth and getting in her eyes. Starlingpaw let out a gurgling cry, paws thrashing to get a hold on the waves. Her fur felt like a solid boulder, and she could feel the depths reaching up to pull her head under. There was no ground beneath her paws – the drop had been steep.

Suddenly, teeth were in her scruff. Starlingpaw went limp as Hawkstar's powerful paws churned through the lakewater. Confidently, he pulled her up onto the shore. His paws worked her sides, pushing out any of the water Starlingpaw had swallowed – she retched and vomited onto the mud.

Coughing, Starlingpaw trembled on the shore.

Hawkstar let out a hiss, _"What_ is wrong with you?"

Starlingpaw struggled to her paws, but she fell back onto the mud. Cold leeched into her bones, and she coughed.

"I'm sorry I never learned to swim!" she rasped. "I'm sorry I don't have the patience for fishing!"

Hawkstar lashed his tail. "You'll _make_ the patience, and you will _learn_ to swim!" he snarled. "Get up – you're bringing back fresh-kill for this Clan or you'll get none yourself!"

Starlingpaw pushed herself to her paws. She glared at Hawkstar, at the lakewater, at the mud. She lashed her tail and spat, "I never wanted this!"

Hawkstar flattened his ears.

"I never wanted to be a TigerClan apprentice!" Starlingpaw snapped. "I just wanted to go home!"

"Well you're an apprentice now!" Hawkstar snarled. "Get used to it!"

Starlingpaw shook out her coat and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Hawkstar demanded.

"To catch prey for your Clan," Starlingpaw threw over her shoulder.

"The only prey you're catching today is _fish!"_ Hawkstar snapped.

Starlingpaw looked over her shoulder. She could see the fire in his icy eyes. Puffing out her tail, she growled, "Make me."

Hawkstar let out a screech of fury and launched himself at Starlingpaw. Though her fur was heavy with water, Starlingpaw was able to dodge him easily, leaping ahead and turning on her paws. Hawkstar lashed out with long, hooked talons, but Starlingpaw slipped to one side.

He kept her on the defensive, pushing her further and further up the slope. Hawkstar was growing more and more furious that she was dodging his blows, his claws slashing through the air recklessly. Starlingpaw backed herself up the slope a few more lengths before she made a great leap and sailed through the air over Hawkstar's head.

She landed hard on her paws behind him. She felt Hawkstar's teeth clench her tail as the landing reverberated through her body. Starlingpaw hissed in fury and turned, slashing at Hawkstar with her claws.

Hawkstar let go of her tail and slammed into her, pushing Starlingpaw off of her paws and onto her back. The two rolled down the slope towards the shore, pulling clumps of fur out of each other as they rotated positions. Hawkstar had the advantage of being bigger and stronger than her – when Starlingpaw was on top he pushed her off with his hind paws.

Starlingpaw landed in the dirt, coughing.

"Fine then," she spat. "Finish me."

Hawkstar approached. Starlingpaw looked up at him, eyes burning.

"You're a good fighter, Starlingpaw," Hawkstar meowed. "I wasn't kidding when I said you'd make a good TigerClan warrior - but you still have a lot to learn before you earn your warrior name."

Starlingpaw narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know where you came from, but you're part of TigerClan now," Hawkstar growled. "You're my apprentice. You'll do as I say – now get up and fish."

Starlingpaw pushed herself up. To her shock, Hawkstar lent her a helping shoulder.

"I know you didn't want to be a TigerClan cat," Hawkstar grunted. "But it's your lot now. Embrace it and become stronger, or die like a coward; it's your choice."

When Starlingpaw was on her paws, Hawkstar pushed away from her. He padded towards the shore, and then threw over his shoulder, "If you still wish to leave TigerClan when you receive your warrior name, so be it – I will let you go."

Starlingpaw swallowed.

"Until then, you are my apprentice, and you will do as I say," Hawkstar growled. "Now come on and fish."

"Why not just kill me?" Starlingpaw wondered. "Why let me live for striking you?"

"Not many cats are brave enough to strike me," Hawkstar admitted. He shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose Clanborn cats respect their leaders too much to try and hurt them when they do something they disagree with.

"I like that about you, Starling," Hawkstar meowed. He didn't look at her. "You're not afraid of me."

Hawkstar settled himself beside the water. Starlingpaw sighed and settled herself next to him, a bit of distance between them both. Starlingpaw kept her shadow off the water as she looked for fish.

"Why are you afraid of water?" Hawkstar wondered.

"Why do you care?" Starlingpaw asked.

"Knowing your fears and learning to face them makes a warrior stronger in battle," Hawkstar told her. "It's my job to make you a warrior."

Starlingpaw sighed. She kept her eyes on the water as she went on, "I traveled a lot before I ended up here. I came to a place where the sun was swallowed by endless waves of water."

"The sun-drown-place?" Hawkstar mewed.

"Yes, that's what Squirrelflight called it," Starlingpaw meowed, nodding. She went on, "I began thinking that if the sun – the thing that gives us light and life – can be swallowed by water, it must be more powerful than any cat realized. I watched it eat the cliffs for a time. I watched it swallow sand and tree and rock. It was… terrifying."

Hawkstar was silent.

"I stayed there for a time, before I wandered here. I never got too close – I didn't want to get sucked in," Starlingpaw admitted. She said nothing of the beast she had met on those salty cliffs, nor the nights she'd spent in the cave with the sound of waves pounding every night. "Since then, whenever I've seen water I just… think about it. How awful it would be to be swallowed and forgotten. When you drown you don't rise again like the sun, you know?"

A fish splashed near the surface. Starlingpaw's paw flashed, and she hooked the fish out of the water. It landed on the shore, and she planted her claws into its spine quickly.

"You just disappear," Starlingpaw told Hawkstar. "You sink to the bottom, and eventually the water just eats you away."

Starlingpaw stared at her catch as it twitched, the last vestiges of its life flowing out onto the sand.

"I don't want that to happen to me."


End file.
